iPods help medics become iDocs
9 Apr 2007 by Evoluted New Media
They have become a badge of honour for commuters across the nation, but now one cardiac doctor thinks that iPods could be the perfect tool for training the next generation of physicians.
They have become a badge of honour for commuters across the nation, but now one cardiac doctor thinks that iPods could be the perfect tool for training the next generation of physicians.
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| The latest in medical training technology - and it holds your favourite tunes. |
Speaking at the American College of Cardiology’s annual meeting, Dr. Michael Barrett of Temple University School of Medicine in the US said that doctors can greatly improve their stethoscope skills - and therefore their ability to diagnose heart problems - by listening repeatedly to heartbeats on their iPods.
Previous research has shown that the average rate of correct heart sound identification by physicians is 40%. In a new study however, 149 junior doctors listened 400 times to five common heart murmurs during a 90-minute session with iPods. After the session, the average score improved to 80%.
Proficiency with a stethoscope - and the ability to recognise abnormal heart sounds - is a critical skill for identifying dangerous heart conditions and minimising dependence on expensive medical tests, said lead researcher Dr. Barrett. “It's important to know when to order a costly echocardiogram or stress test,” he said.
Barrett believes the skill of learning heart problems is best learned through intensive drilling and repetition, not by traditional methods, usually a classroom lecture or demonstration in medical school and then on the job.
