By Stewart Gandolf
Chief Executive Officer

Advertising Messages on Your Digital Stethoscope

It seems there’s an iPhone app for everything. (As of today, at least 250,000 apps, and 6.5 billion downloads. But that’s a moving target).

Now there’s an app that falls into the category of medical device marketing & advertising. The iStethoscope turns an iPhone or iPod Touch into (surprise) a stethoscope, to hear a heartbeat and see a heart waveform.

The free version is advertising supported. Assuming it is popular with doctors—as the developer suggests—it could be an avenue for pharma and medical device marketing and advertising to target practitioners.The BBC is reporting that: “More than three million doctors have downloaded the iStethoscope application, which enables physicians to monitor their patients’ heartbeats using their smartphones. The patient can email their heart pattern to their doctor to enable them to receive professional assessment of their condition. The application was invented by Professor Peter J. Bentley, a researcher from University College London.”

There’s also a version without advertising—iStethoscope Pro—that sells for 99-cents and adds a spectrogram option. The audio and spectrogram image can be emailed.

It’s an intriguing concept, and another illustration of medical technology intersecting with the boom in smartphones. There’s more on the iTunes page, and the Journal of Medical Devices.

Stewart Gandolf

Chief Executive Officer at Healthcare Success

Stewart Gandolf, MBA, is Chief Executive Officer of Healthcare Success, one of the nation's leading healthcare and digital marketing agencies. Over the past 20 years, Stewart has marketed and consulted for over 1,000 healthcare clients, ranging from practices and hospitals to multi-billion dollar corporations. A frequent speaker, Stewart has shared his expertise at over 200 venues nationwide. As an author and expert resource, Stewart has also written for many leading industry publications, including the 21,000 subscriber Healthcare Success Insight blog. Stewart also co-authored, "Cash-Pay Healthcare: Start, Grow & Perfect Your Cash-Pay Healthcare Business." Stewart began his career with leading advertising agencies, including J. Walter Thompson, where he marketed Fortune 500 clients such as Wells Fargo and Bally's Total Fitness.

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