Doctors In The UK Are Using iPads To Diagnose Dementia

Doctors in the United Kingdom are using iPads equipped with a specially designed application to help diagnose the early signs of dementia. The software, CANTABmobile, is based heavily on neuropsychological tests undertaken at the University of Cambridge, and ultimately aims to significantly reduce the average three years taken for dementia patients to receive a diagnosis. It's easy to use, offers patients the option of undertaking the test in one of 20 different languages, and provides a traffic light-based diagnosis of the patient's memory consisting of red ("Investigate"), amber ("Monitor"), and green ("No present concern"). In a press release announcing the availability of CANTABmobile in the United Kingdom, it is noted that the application is being used in 19 separate practices:

The Guildford and Waverley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is promoting the use of the CANTABmobile system to help improve dementia diagnosis rates. CANTABmobile enables GPs to test a patient's episodic memory through an easy to use ten-minute cognitive assessment. Of the 21 GP practices in the Guildford and Waverley region, 19 have been provided with iPads and the software to assess patients who have concerns about their memory loss.

Of course, this isn't the first we've heard of doctors using iPads. In fact, we've got a dedicated list of "Apps For Doctors" which promises to equip practitioners with the best iOS apps. CANTABmobile does, however, demonstrate how Apple's iDevices are making a real difference in the world, and the situation reminds me a lot of the company's impressive "Making a Difference" video, which we told you about recently. For more information on CANTABmobile, check out the software's website or take a look at the below video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ4j3to5KCA&feature=player_embedded

If you can't see the above video, please click this link.

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