EHSLibrary » mobile

Using Mobile Technology to Save Lives

Todd Vandenbark — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 15:14:59 +0000

When someone experiences a cardiac emergency, seconds count. Every second that the heart is not beating is another second that vital organs are not receiving oxygen. The sooner basic life support (BLS) is initiated, the greater the chance a life can be saved. A recent simulation study in Stockholm, Sweden, demonstrated how an alert system using mobile positioning can get trained lay emergency responders to the site of an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest up to 56% faster than the nearest ambulance, based on historical data. The study did not track how much time was actually saved between the initiation of CPR by a lay responder and the arrival of emergency personnel. But because it was conducted in highly populated city suggests that it could be replicated to demonstrate the value of creating and implementing such a system in other large cities.

Good review of mobile apps for PubMed

Todd Vandenbark — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 15:24:14 +0000

The blog iMedicalApps took on the challenge of evaluating the various mobile applications for searching PubMed in detail, which took a whopping seven pages for the final report. The blog’s editors conclude:

Of the reviewed apps, only two are worth considering, namely Pubmed Clip and Pubmed on Tap. Of these, Pubmed on Tap is the most solid choice, with basically everything you will need onboard for a reasonable price. For a little more you can get Pubmed Clip, which has by far the best looking interface and offers some distinct features that set it apart from the rest. On the iPad it gave a lot of errors, but as an only recently released initial version, we expect it to improve with time [Both Pubmed Clip and Pubmed on Tap are customized for both the iPhone and iPad].

PubMed also has its own mobile version, but as these authors accurately point out, “Although Pubmed has a mobile version of its website, it looks outdated and is not the easiest to use.” The first page opens without any search box, but instead offers a list of links to select from. Clicking on “Search MEDLINE/PubMed” takes the user to a page with not one but three search boxes:

Search with no filters
Search systematic reviews
Search via Clinical Queries

For a quick-and-dirty way of getting a site up, this actually has some merit if you are using a mobile device to find fast answers. Using the Clinical Queries search box with the “therapy” option selected, a search on “preeclampsia” comes up with 434 items. Unfortunately, there is no way obvious or easy way to narrow these results, which come 20 to a page, forcing the user to scroll excessively.

Perhaps with more practice, one could learn to use this site more effectively, but for now, a 3rd-party app appears to be a better solution.

Fighting for innovative healthcare at Notre Dame

Todd Vandenbark — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 18:24:29 +0000

As summarized today on the iMedical Apps blog,

Dr. Hsueh-Chia Chang, a distinguished professor at the University of Notre Dame, is working on using microfluidic technology in order to create a hand held device that can quickly detect pathogens in blood and toxins in food and water.

If successful, this tool will not only be mobile but also inexpensive, making it affordable and usable in developing countries. Watch the video.

Spotlight on NLM resources

Todd Vandenbark — Thu, 20 May 2010 18:57:36 +0000

Did you know that you can access PubMed resources from your mobile device? Learn how at the monthly “Spotlight! On National Library of Medicine Resources” online workshop on Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010, at 8:30 am MDT, 9:30 am CDT. This workshop is free but registration is requested. And in July, learn about using Mobile MedlinePlus and MedlinePlus Twitter. This second workshop will be offered on Wednesday, July 28, 2010, also at 8:30 am MDT, 9:30 am CDT.

The Eccles Health Sciences Library serves as a regional medical library (RML) for the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) in the MidContinental Region (MCR), supporting collaboration among over 400 member libraries and information centers in the states of Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri. The monthly “Spotlight!” series is being presented by our knowledgeable NLM colleagues, and archives of all the workshops in this series are available online. Topics range from using the Household Products Database to genetics, family health history, and much more.

Eccles Goes Mobile

Todd Vandenbark — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:47:38 +0000

Eccles Library now has a mobile-ready website. The Home page features a 3-tab interface with a collection of mobile-friendly links and pages, as well as direct links back to the library’s main website. It is currently optimized for viewing on an iPhone/iPod Touch, with further refinements under development to support users of other mobile devices. Check it out, then tell us what you think!