IDoctor - humm are there cons?
IDoctor - humm are there cons?
I sent the link to some people. This is the comment from a cousin of mine who is a physician:
"I think he's overstating the utility of a lot of these technologies. That EKG only gives you a single rhythm strip, nothing close to the info you get from a full 12-lead tracing.
The ultrasound unit I am sure has limited power and resolution. Also the operator has to be trained to know what he/she is looking at to make it even remotely useful. I'm afraid that the current device will miss as many things as it detects.
That being said I do agree there is great potential for these devices to improve care and efficiency in the near future. I am looking into them for my practice."
Adrienne,
Fully agree that iDoctor may not be the "Be All", but wow as a 1st level screening.
Personal experience is i Recently needed knee surgery, done now and am on a 6 week crutch recovery from bone and cartilage work performed. I had 8 months in the waiting room for the knee surgery, considered as painful (yes it is, very and 24x7), but not life threatening, (big cramp on lifestyle though, for an OHS needing the walking and stair exercise.)
So, I required cardiologist visit and presumed full cardio testing before knee surgery, to ascertain whether fit for surgery or whether cardio surgeon required on standby in case? Anyways, cardiologist visit was an electrocardiogram and a letter of fitness from him, he did not even have a listen, nor was an echo proposed.....laughable to me, but then again i was not looking for any objection in fixing my knee.....cause in so many ways (for me and Don't laugh), based on my personal experience of OHS, i have a much greater fear of re-injury to my knee and the pain, the long wait, the long recovery and all that I have lived, than a redo of OHS....from my personal experiences lived.
I cannot belittle OHS, AVR, mitral valve repair, it is a big deal and a scary proposition, but (blasphamy), I am surely not alone in having an uneventful and short lived recovery from OHS. I know the occasional patient, is not so lucky, but for most healthy individuals, recovering from OHS is a big event, but rather short lived in the lifecycle and cannot think of anything i could not do today vs. pre-op, in fact the opposite, as in OHS pre-op, the medics were warning me about stress and now, non issue, the medics have gone on to the next in the waiting list.....anyways i digress...but that is my current story.
IDoctor as i see it has so much screening potential, yes cell phone security is an issue, but am far more worried about a banking hack, vs. a hack of my elecro or echo, of what use would that info be to a thief?
I have an almost 40 year background in IT, from mainframe to current web delivery apps and am quite current. The concept of revolutionizing health care, is close to my heart, as i have spent way too many hours, witnessing the inefficiencies of the heath care "business" ....darn it must be tough to be a well intentioned medical caregiver in these times and i share Dr. Topol's frustration and I believe it is even worse here in Canada with our political state run system, where most of the funding goes to bureaucracy vs. practitioners and equipment funding, even worse than US am sure, our free medical is a 48 % taxation at the revenue source, as well as 15% sales tax....free my ***....sorry just venting.
Btw, i accelerated my 8 month knee surgey, by getting 2 MRI's done out of pocket at private clinics, else probably still on waiting list for 1st MRI to allow surgeon review....same kind of waiting game in public sector for life saving colonoscopy, not covered by insurance in private sector, yet massages, physio is covered....go figure?
Sadly for me our free medical system is mired in political and union squabbles and needs redress big time,while retaining the morals of best patient care possible....the system just looks broken to me, in comparison to other industries and don't get me started on "Global Warming impending disaster"....smile
Just sayin
Gil
