Researchers at Leeds University in England are developing a mobile phone that can check patients' vital signs and glucose and blood oxygen levels, BBC News reports. The device then transmits the patient information to a remote computer so physicians or nurses can analyze the data and inform the patient if there are any problems.
The phone could help patients with chronic health conditions reduce the number of visits to their physicians, according to the university.
"A mobile phone certainly shouldn't be seen as a replacement for doctors, but it will help patients take control of their own health in conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, lung cancer and obesity," Alison Marshall, head of the research project, said.
The mobile phone can communicate with wireless devices, such as blood pressure monitors, and automatically calls health professionals in an emergency, BBC News reports.
A prototype of the phone in May will be tested on research volunteers to determine if any improvements are necessary before conducting a larger trial in 2008 (BBC News, 4/18).