Following up yesterday's post about physicians' preference for Apple products, researchers at Canada's University of Calvary have determined that doctors can accurately diagnose stroke using an iPhone app.

Using the app, Calgary Scientific Inc.’s ResolutionMD Mobile, doctors were able to achieve the same diagnosis accuracy as with a medical computer workstation.

“This iPhone app allows for advanced visualization and our studies show it is between 94% and 100% accurate, compared to a medical workstation, for diagnosing acute stroke,” Ross Mitchell, of the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Medicine, said on the faculty's Web site. “In a medical emergency, medical imaging plays a critical role in diagnosis and treatment, time is critical in acute stroke care, every minute counts.”

The technology enables a real-time, remote connection between specialists, such as neurologists, and patients and could be of particular use in rural medical settings.

The app was approved by Health Canada in April 2010. Is the US missing the boat?

—Jamie Hartford