iPod: A Medical Marvel

Doctors have found that their skills of listening to a stethoscope increases greatly when they can listen to heartbeats on their ipods. The average correct heart rate reads by physicians is currently at about only 40%, but in a study, that amount was doubled to 80% but the doctors using a 90-session of ipod training. 149 general internists listened to 5 different common heart murmurs over 400 times and repetition allowed for a doubling of the accuracy.

It’s a very critical skill to be able to identify different heart issues, and it can be a costly one too. Patients are often told to do expensive tests that end up not being necessary.
Michael Barrett, clinical associate professor of medicine and cardiologist at Temple University School of Medicine and Hospital. “It’s important to know when to order a costly echocardiogram or stress test,” Barrett 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.

This finding was part of a presentation at the American College of Cardiology’s annual meeting.

And you thought ipods were just for kids!

Originally posted on Sunday, March 25th, 2007
Technology.