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The iStethoscope iPhone application - Source: Screenshot
An iPhone application that allows a patient to have their heartrate checked with a mobile phone is proving popular as a monitoring tool for doctors.
The in-built microphone in the phone monitors a patient's heartbeat when it's held up against their chest, and can provide an accurate read-out that can be sent to the doctor via email.
Peter Bentley, a computer scientist who designed the iPhone application called iStethoscope pro, says it's become popular with patients who live a long way from their doctor.
The BBC reported that feedback from doctors said that smartphone applications like the one devised by Bentley, make it easier to collect and share data.
But cardiologists also warn that the readings themselves shouldn't be the only tool used to monitor a patient's heart health.
"Many of the things that we can pick up in a doctor-patient relationship, there really isn't any substitute for, so they may assist and they may be an adjunct but I don't see them replacing the doctor-patient relationship," British cardiologist Dr Mark Westwood told the BBC.
But doctors all over the world, including New Zealand, are using it. Millions of downloads have taken place since its launch in 2009.
