iPhone attachment designed for at-home diagnoses of ear infections

[Celebration]

iPhone app for earaches

A new pediatric medical device being developed by Georgia Tech and Emory University could make life easier for every parent who has rushed to the doctor with a child screaming from an ear infection.

Soon, parents may be able to skip the doctor's visit and receive a diagnosis without leaving home by using Remotoscope, a clip-on attachment and software app that turns an iPhone into an otoscope. Pediatricians currently diagnose ear infections using the standard otoscope to examine the eardrum. With Remotoscope, parents would be able to take a picture or video of their child's eardrum using the iPhone and send the images digitally to a physician for diagnostic review.

Wilbur Lam, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, along with his colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley, is developing the device, with plans to commercialize it. "Ultimately we think parents could receive a diagnosis at home and forgo the late-night trips to the emergency room," says Lam, who is also a physician at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and an assistant professor of pediatrics at Emory School of Medicine. "It's known that kids who get ear infections early in life are at risk for recurrent ear infections. It can be a very big deal and really affect their families' quality of life."

[MineralMan]

1. Sounds like a good idea, if doctors will actually look at the images.

Stuff like this could potentially help lower medical costs, and save people unnecessary trips to the ER. I can see the potential for other such apps and the like.

N.B. The clinic where I get primary care has added email consultations for its patients. Emails are reviewed by a physician's assistant and by your primary doctor, if needed. There's a small charge for this, and you'll get an opinion on whether you need to come in, and maybe even a prescription, based on your medical record and the email. I'm sure you could attach a photo, as well. I can see it now:

"I woke up this morning with this rash on my arm. Should I come in, or can you suggest something for it? [inserted photo]

[hedgehog]

2. Right now insurance companies encourage you to call their

nurse first before you call the doctor to determine if you need to be seen. I'd feel more confident with visual images. Rashes can be mild or serious.