Medical Software

Thanks to technology that allows huge volumes of knowledge to be shrunk to the size of a microchip, doctors are no longer tied to a huge office library for reference material. Medical diagnosis software now exists for handheld computers, which means that doctors can now carry around the equivalent of a twelve volume medical reference in their pocket!

I have located several types of medical diagnosis software that are available online, with one caveat: these are definitely not intended to replace actual hands on physical examination by a qualified physician. In fact, whether used in a PDA, Blackberry, laptop or desktop computer, this software is only intended to be a diagnostic tool, not the end result. In other words, it is not enough to just have a set of symptoms and the name of a disease - there is more to the art of diagnosis than that.

There are many different applications for medical diagnosis software. Let's say you are located in a science research station at the North or South Pole, and one of the other station personnel has a medical emergency. With the use of a PDA, you can pull input the symptoms the patient is experiencing, and run through a diagnostic list, thus narrowing down the possibilities; if you are able to be linked via phone or Internet with a medical doctor who can assist you in your diagnosis, so much the better.

Many people who live in remote areas can make excellent use of medical diagnosis software as well. In most cases, access to medical care is limited if you live, for example, in Bush Alaska. In most cases, medical care is often several hundred miles away, and quick diagnosis can mean the difference between life and death.

Paramedics and other emergency medical personnel can make use of medical diagnosis software in the course of their jobs; if first responders are working on an accident victim and have a diagnostic question, use of this software can be helpful.

It would be fitting at this time to interject a cautionary note: do not substitute the use of medical diagnosis software for treatment by a qualified medical professional. In other words, do not go to WebMD and decide, based on a set of possible symptoms, that you have X disease and you must use Y Treatment Plan. There is no substitute for qualified medical judgment of a doctor (who has gone through years of training and continuing medical education).