5 Ways to Turn your Smart Phone into a Medical Device

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5 ways to turn your smartphone-into a metical device

In today’s app-for-everything world, it’s no surprise that our there are also apps for many medical devices. Here is a list of a few fun medical devices that work on your smart phone:

smartphone ultrasound

1 – Ultrasound: Becoming a new mom is exciting stuff! It is so exciting that some parents are opting to do ultrasounds at home with smart phone accessories. There are few options on the market including the Mobisante. The cost for this device is more than $7k, so it’s not very cost effective for the average mother to have. However many midwives are opting to use this device for home visits. There is also the iBaby. This ultrasound device not only allows you to do the ultrasound but you can also instantly print a picture with the device after the ultrasound is done.

Glucose Monitor on smartphone

2 - Glucose Monitor: Diabetes is a serious condition and keeping track of your blood sugar levels is not an easy or convenient thing to do. In an attempt to have one less device for diabetics, there are few companies that have created blood glucose monitors that work with your smart phone.

My favorite version of the device is the one made by iHealth. It’s very affordable ($16.95 for the device and $12.50 for 50 testing strips) and it has a sleek design. Check it out here.

3 – ECG Monitor: AliveCor offers a smartphone case that is capable of recording your ECG. You just place the sensors on your chest or fingers for a reading. An ECG reading checks for problems with the electrical activity of your heart. If you don’t know how to read and ECG, the app also allows you to send your recording to a professional for a small fee. The device starts at a cost of $199. Learn more here.

Blood Pressure Cuff for iPhone

4 – Blood Pressure Cuff: If you are an individual who needs to keep track of your blood pressure on a regular basis, there is an app for that! Withings offers a wireless blood pressure cuff/monitor that works with your smart phone. It works with iPhones and Androids, and it gives you instant feedback on your heart rate results. It’s also one of the more affordable smart phone medical devices and will cost you $130. You can learn more about this device here .

smartphone stethoscope

5 – Stethoscope: You can easily turn your iPhone into a stethoscope using custom cases and accessories. The stethoscope case from Steth IO looks pretty discrete and has an accompanying app that allows you to see and hear heart rates and save the data. There are also physical stethoscopes out there that transfer data to your smart phone. For example, the one from Rijuven allows you to do everything you can do with a normal stethoscope, and it has an app that the data transfers to. The data is analyzed and diagnosed with any problems if applicable.

So what do you think? Would you use any of these devices? Would you think it would be acceptable if your metical professional broke out their smart device and used it on you during your next appointment? Leave us a comment below and let us know your thoughts.