Aug 10
27
Should Medical Professionals get an iPhone or Android?
Before deciding between the two smartphones i.e. iPhone or Android one should first decide whether or not a medical professional needs a smartphone altogether? If you have to use a phone just to make some calls and not access patient files on PDA etc. Then a smartphone is not for you. In fact there medical application features would be quite a waste for you. On other other hand, if you need to travel a lot and require the use of 3G internet connection to view patient data and other medical files, then a Smartphone like iPhone or Android is recommended
To find out which smartphone is suitable for health professionals, we have segregated the differences into following
Contract basis
Apple iPhone is exclusively available on AT& T network so if you are a Verizon subscriber then Android or a Blackberry smartphone is most suitable to you.
Rural settings
If your work compels you to travel to rural and interior sections of the country then one must know that AT& T 3G connection is not that strong. As a matter of fact, it barely works in the rural settings. It is more successful in big cities.
However, Verizon network works excellent even in rural far off areas and gives you strong 3G internet connection.
One more point to consider here is if you really do need the use of internet connection to access data files or medical papers. Only then the Android Smartphone would be more apt for you.
Security & Enterprise
Blackberry phone so far has been the best when it comes down to effective IT security and Blackberry Enterprise server is considered most successful for medical professionals. In addition its email client is also something to write back home about!
New iPhone 4 is claiming to come with all the above mentioned security measures in its new operating system i.e. OS 4.
However, if one access patient data via a cloud system i.e. from another secure server than either Android or iPhone is preferable as both works fine with such a cloud system.
Use of PDA
Palm PDAs have been so far the best friend for medical students and professionals as it allows you to download millions of medical applications and upload it on your PDA which were used as medical reference tools. Apple’s App Store boasts of quite a lot of medical applications for mobile phones as compared to Android or even Blackberry market.
The major difference between apple’s iPhone app store and Android’s application store is the absence of streamline operating system on Android.
Multimedia Tool
Granted it is more easy to put iPhone 4 in sync with personal iTunes library but it is also true that Android smartphone proves to be more easily accessible when it comes down to music!
Both the smartphones also offer excellent maps or GPS function
Conclusion
Android Phone- It is the best option for a medical professional but only if he doesn’t have an AT&T network. There are not that many medical applications as its fragmented OS don’t allow certain applications to work on older phones. But it works best in rural settings and also houses flash support.
iPhone-There are quite a good number of medical applications to choose from. In fact the top 10 medical applications for iPhone enlist all the popular applications that one can download. However, the poor 3G internet connection and its AT& T exclusivity does make it suitable mainly for big cities.
