BOSTON – Smartphones coupled with the rapidly growing number of medical applications are the latest disruptive technologies reshaping the way physicians conduct business and interact with patients, according to Paul Alan Wetter, MD, founder and chairman of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons.
“The message really is to the physicians out there: We need to be prepared and understand as much about this as we can,” said Dr. Wetter, clinical professor emeritus at the University of Miami. “We don’t want to be, 5 years from now ... wondering what’s going, what is this change?”
In a video interview, Dr. Wetter explained how mobile devices and apps could potentially improve technology-based tools that doctors already use, such as electronic health records, by allowing patients to carry accurate and up-to-date medical information with them.
Dr. Wetter spoke at the annual Minimally Invasive Surgery Week, held by the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons. He did not report any relevant financial disclosures.