PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — From Boca Raton to Palm Beach Gardens, doctors are turning to technology to better practice medicine. The goal is to also make their patients more at ease.
Annette Fuller and her daughter, Gaby, take lots of trips around the world, but not without a device to help keep Gaby healthy. The device clips onto their iPhone and is able to record video of Gaby's ear.
"It's like a microscopic camera that's in your ear that takes pictures," said Fuller.
They used it in Switzerland and sent the video to Dr. Chad Rudnick and Boca VIPediatrics.
"He was able to tell us if she had an ear infection or not what to do. It was pretty amazing," said Fuller.
It's one of many tools Rudnick is using these days.
The use of technology in pediatrics has been a total game changer," said Rudnick. "Because what used to be an unnecessary visit for a family to an emergency room or an ER, because it's Saturday night or it's a holiday weekend, it doesn't have to happen."
Virtual Reality technology is utilized for kids to wear while they get their shots. A stethoscope is also available that connects to a phone.
"I'm able to listen to a cough. I'm able to listen to a heartbeat, and see is there any wheezing signs of pneumonia in their chest," said Rudnick.
Dr. Laurie Rothman, a family physician, turned to technology for another reason. She noticed a big difference in how she practiced when doctors started using electronic medical records.
"It felt like I kept having to turn away from them look at a screen and then look back at them, and I could tell that I was frustrated. Patients were frustrated," said Rothman.
She started wearing Google glasses. Now, she uses a secure smart phone that has a live audio visual stream with a scribe.
"I would be connected to an offsite scribe, so I could just be with you, talk to you, get your history, ask your questions, and my scribe would (transcribe) all the documentation," said Rothman. "I get to make eye contact with my patients. I get to kind of forget about the chart for the first part of the visit."
And that's the goal all along.
