The day when most rehabilitation therapists use a smartphone on the job is not far away. Healthcare industry analysts predict that in the next few years therapists, doctors and nurses will turn to online resources more frequently than "analog" research tools, like books. Look forward to the day when physical and occupational therapists perform many medical tasks on their mobile devices, including administrative tasks and patient monitoring.
A study released by the Medical Software Advice blog showed that Apple’s iPhone was the most popular among medical professionals, but the BlackBerry, Palm Pre and Google phones were recovering market share. The survey’s respondents overwhelmingly said they selected their phone based on how easy it was to use and how many apps were available.
Mobile phones with medical apps can offer a real advantage if you’re a traveling therapist who has long dreamed of carrying a complete kit of medical resources in your pocket. No need to schlep around those “go-to” research tools (even something as simple as a calculator) or hoping that every facility you may travel to has all the clinical resources you’ve come to rely on.