Cough into your cell phone please and let us diagnose your cough. MSNBC and the Discovery Channel report on research here in the US and in Australia that would allow health care providers to use computer software to analyze coughs over the phone.
Can you hear my cough now?
Health care providers have been trained to detect the differences in coughs. They can diagnose whether you have a cold, the flu, pneumonia or something worse just by listening to you and asking a few pertinent questions. The skill of the listening health care provider varies, but using a computer software program offsets the human judgment component. (Is this a good thing?)
The research entails getting over 1,000 “sample” coughs in to the database. The computer will analyze them and categorize the similarities. Wow! Of course the software will be very costly at first, but then not having to “see” as many patients may bring the cost down. It may also bring down the rate of spreading germs and disease by keeping those with just colds or the simple flu at home where they belong instead of coughing and sneezing in the doctor’s waiting room.
Technology… gotta love it. Of course some might argue that it adds another layer of distance between the patient and the doctor, making it even more impersonal. I look at it as just another tool in the care giver’s toolbox.
I give this new research a thumbs up!
[...] diagnostic apps for Smartphones are being developed. See my blog Can You Hear Me Cough. Imagine being able to cough into a phone and have the doctor diagnose whether or not you have [...]
[...] and clinics. Testing and patient diagnostics are becoming more available as well. See my blog, Can you hear my cough now? As we proceed into the 21st century, the technology for mobile health care will grow exponentially. [...]