The last time I went to the doctor was so long ago that my charts were still being kept on paper. But with initiatives like Google Health in full swing, things are changing fast. Analysts at The Diffusion Group, based in Texas, say that more than half of health care providers now use advanced mobile devices like RIM’s BlackBerry to look up patient records.
Which is where Boston-based Vaultus comes in. The MIT spinoff, which makes software that companies can use to distribute data from enterprise servers to smart phones and other mobile devices, announced last week that it is partnering with collaboration-software firm Covisint, based in Detroit, MI, to develop “mobile patient dashboards,” a new interface designed to make access to patient information faster and more secure.
The software taps into electronic records on patients’ medications, allergies, and other conditions and displays them on the small screens of physicians’ PDAs. Vaultus and Covisint haven’t released details about implementation or testing of the interface, but they did share a screenshot (above). So, does this mobile interface appeal to physicians on the go? Could it compromise patient confidentiality? How would you make it better? Let us know.
Author: Gregory T. Huang
Greg is a veteran journalist who has covered a wide range of science, technology, and business. As former editor in chief, he overaw daily news, features, and events across Xconomy's national network. Before joining Xconomy, he was a features editor at New Scientist magazine, where he edited and wrote articles on physics, technology, and neuroscience. Previously he was senior writer at Technology Review, where he reported on emerging technologies, R&D, and advances in computing, robotics, and applied physics. His writing has also appeared in Wired, Nature, and The Atlantic Monthly’s website. He was named a New York Times professional fellow in 2003.
Greg is the co-author of Guanxi (Simon & Schuster, 2006), about Microsoft in China and the global competition for talent and technology. Before becoming a journalist, he did research at MIT’s Artificial Intelligence Lab. He has published 20 papers in scientific journals and conferences and spoken on innovation at Adobe, Amazon, eBay, Google, HP, Microsoft, Yahoo, and other organizations. He has a Master’s and Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT, and a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
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