spagiola writes "There's a nice little story on CNN about a doctor in Geneva who has developed ways to use iPods to view medical images. His software, called Osirix (OSS, BTW) enables medical professionals to view medical images on their iPods, saving them and the hospitals they work for thousands of dollars in expensive equipment." iPods Used for Medical Images Log in/Create an Account | Top | 266 comments (Spill at 50!) | Index Only | Search Discussion Display Options Threshold: -1: 266 comments 0: 259 comments 1: 222 comments 2: 140 comments 3: 38 comments 4: 20 comments 5: 14 comments Flat Nested No Comments Threaded Oldest First Newest First Highest Scores First Oldest First (Ignore Threads) Newest First (Ignore Threads) The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way. Evolving (Score:5, Interesting) by Oculus Habent (562837) * <oculus,habent&gmail,com> on Thursday October 27, @08:10AM (#13888009) (Last Journal: Wednesday October 26, @10:01PM) It looks like it started out as a simple, "portable hard drive" system... hardly different from the stories about storing BLAST data or Lord of the Rings clips on an iPod. The addition of the iPod's photo-display capabilities and - more significantly, I think - the iChat sharing makes this sound like a setup. I wonder when they will incorporate support for the iPod's video capabilities... [ Reply to ThisRe:Evolving by Midnight Thunder (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @08:51AMRe:Evolving by olddotter (Score:3) Thursday October 27, @10:42AMYes. by SeaFox (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @02:13PMRe:Evolving by Oculus Habent (Score:3) Thursday October 27, @05:23PMRe:Evolving by jargoone (Score:3) Thursday October 27, @06:09PMRe:Evolving by toph42 (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @10:43AM1 reply beneath your current threshold.Re:Using BMW to transport data by klubar (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @12:36PM Re:Using BMW to transport data (Score:5, Insightful) by Oculus Habent (562837) * <oculus,habent&gmail,com> on Thursday October 27, @02:27PM (#13890788) (Last Journal: Wednesday October 26, @10:01PM) Read the article. The doctor had an iPod, and started using it to move large files around. That in itself isn't news. It's the additional details.They can take a patient's data with them and study it at the office, at home, at a colleague's office. This doesn't require an iPod.They added an image export function to put pictures in iPod-viewable format once the iPod Photo came out. That's pretty minor, but you can use it for reference, or output it to a TV for viewing. The resolution is still lower than original quality, but I can't speak to those details.Then they used iChat AV for full-motion video streaming to other doctors. Again, the quality is lower, but the ability to consult with other doctors in real-time with the data can be invaluable. They also used .Mac to conveniently post images - stripped of identifiers for anonymity - to protected web space for additional consultation and reference purposes.The real imaging work can't be done on the portable because it is very demanding... it's a 3d video of sorts. A tablet might be able to do the work, but the real point isn't using the images on-the-go, it's taking the images with you or sharing them.The costs are negligible because the equipment is there... they have the Mac to use Osirix. That means they have the iChat software. They were using their own iPods. Sure, some medical facilities might end up buying a few iPods for this use... is that so terrible? I think the additional costs of training and deployment for Windows Tablet PCs and a different DICOM viewer far outweigh the costs of iPods... if they even have to buy them. Remember, for most of the uses - excepting the iPod-viewable photos and videos - any portable drive would do. [ Reply to This | ParentRe:Using BMW to transport data by cthulhu11 (Score:1) Friday October 28, @12:51AM1 reply beneath your current threshold.there's a practical use for an iPod... by Anonymous Coward (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @08:11AMI feel comforted by jurt1235 (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @08:11AM Re:I feel comforted (Score:5, Informative) by johahoff (848114) on Thursday October 27, @08:13AM (#13888021) You could have read the article, they just use the iPods to save the photo and carry it around (the photo capability of the iPod was added even after the project was started). [ Reply to This | ParentRe:I feel comforted by ozydingo (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @08:46AMRe:I feel comforted by MichaelSmith (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @08:28AMRe:I feel comforted by servo335 (Score:3) Thursday October 27, @08:34AMRe:I feel comforted by notthe9 (Score:3) Thursday October 27, @10:42AMRe:I feel comforted by ozydingo (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @01:39PM1 reply beneath your current threshold. Re:I feel comforted (Score:5, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 27, @08:33AM (#13888103) I do medical imaging in the U.S. for a livelihood. I'm pretty sure nobody has ever done a clinical read (e.g. medical evaluation resulting in a report) on the iPod. Anyone who would do that should have their board cert pulled and probably would do something else equally stupid. OSIRIS has been around for a while -- I don't see why it's news. The real issue is medical record privacy and the thought of med images running around on an iPod scares the bejeezus out of the boards or people responsible for HIPAA compliance at most institutions. If leaked, the header info that comes with a DICOM formatted data set easily violates privacy at a level sufficient to trigger a $15k slap on the wrist and/or 6months jail time.For most imaging modalities reading on a 14 or 15" is not enough -- though I suppose PET/SPECT and UltraSound may be exceptions. Heck even high quality jpg compression can be lossy enough to cause missed stress fractures. [ Reply to This | ParentMod Parent Up by LurkerXXX (Score:3) Thursday October 27, @10:10AMRe:Mod Parent Up by FLEB (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @01:02PMRe:Mod Parent Up by LurkerXXX (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @01:06PMRe:Mod Parent Up by mr100percent (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @04:05PMRe:Mod Parent Up by LurkerXXX (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @04:28PMRe:Mod Parent Up by mr100percent (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @04:32PMRe:I feel comforted by Murphy(c) (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @10:14AMRe:I feel comforted by shotfeel (Score:3) Thursday October 27, @10:33AMRe:I feel comforted by sribe (Score:3) Thursday October 27, @11:42AMRe:I feel comforted by Da_Biz (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @01:49PMRe:I feel comforted by sribe (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @03:00PMRe:I feel comforted by Mithrandir (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @11:46AMRe:I feel comforted by Anonymous Coward (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @12:25PMRe:I feel comforted by barronVonBackstabber (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @04:30PM1 reply beneath your current threshold.UCLA using them for storage by spineboy (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @01:14PMRe:I feel comforted by Smurf (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @06:36PM2 replies beneath your current threshold.Re:I feel comforted by AviLazar (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @08:52AMRe:I feel comforted by Doctor Memory (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @12:00PMRe:I feel comforted by AviLazar (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @12:15PMRe:I feel comforted by Doctor Memory (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @12:47PM1 reply beneath your current threshold.Re:I feel comforted by ngoy (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @08:58AMRe:I feel comforted by FLEB (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @01:07PM Re:I feel comforted (Score:4, Insightful) by Midnight Thunder (17205) on Thursday October 27, @09:01AM (#13888244) (http://slashdot.org/ | Last Journal: Saturday February 05, @04:50AM) Ideas are always great, the practice is something else.As mentioned in the article they are using is as a storage mechanism. While DVDs probably are big enough, they are also a lot more hassle to create quickly. In itself there isn't anything news worthy. They added the ability to save previews, that can be viewed on the iPod. While most people wouldn't want to do a detailed analysis, it is an easy way to see the obvious and even verify what you saved on your iPod. Plenty of other media devices could be used, but these guys are Mac developers, so they stick with what they know. Had they been MS-Windows developers, then they probably would have been using an iRiver device and MSN Messenger.The tablet PC defeats the purpose of having a small portable device that you can take with you, and that tablet PC probably don't have the resolution need for displaying the images. iPods don't either, but you can easily plug them into a computer that does.These guys are essentially trying to share news of their product. The fact that CNN gave them an article to do so is kudos to them. [ Reply to This | Parent Re:I feel comforted (Score:4, Funny) by fafaforza (248976) on Thursday October 27, @10:11AM (#13888654) I'm afraid that you have cancer. I am deeply sorry. However, with proper chemotherapy and a positive outlook, chances are high that you can beat this dis...... wait.. wait.... That discoloration on your chart looks to be a Cheeto from breakfast. Nevermind! [ Reply to This | ParentSo? - nothing to see here... by cakesy (Score:3) Thursday October 27, @08:11AMRe:So? - nothing to see here... by alexandreracine (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @08:16AMRe:So? - nothing to see here... by ngoy (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @09:09AMRe:So? - nothing to see here... by ngoy (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @09:13AMRe:So? - nothing to see here... by hackstraw (Score:3) Thursday October 27, @09:27AM1 reply beneath your current threshold.a new tool's use by BitterAndDrunk (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @09:47AMRe:a new tool's use by cakesy (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @10:05AM1 reply beneath your current threshold.1 reply beneath your current threshold. Follow up story... (Score:5, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 27, @08:11AM (#13888015) Several patients diagnosed with "just a scratch". [ Reply to ThisRe:Follow up story... by PhotoBoy (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @08:20AMRe:Follow up story... by DieByWire (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @10:27AMNot what it seems by Anonymous Coward (Score:3) Thursday October 27, @08:13AM Re:Not what it seems (Score:4, Insightful) by Seehund (86897) on Thursday October 27, @08:34AM (#13888107) (http://amigapop.8bit.co.uk/ | Last Journal: Monday April 26, @01:07PM) Exactly. Yet another fellow physician stores DICOM files on removable media. This time the media brand is "iPod", and thus it gets on the frontpage of Slashduh.Idiocy.And Osirix is a Free equivalent to the Osiris DICOM handler. It has nothing to do with "enabling medical professionals to view medical images on their iPods". Regardless of what imaging and analysis software you use (and you use it on a PC/workstation!), it doesn't give a crap about the trademark of your storage media! [ Reply to This | ParentRe:Not what it seems by drauh (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @10:37AMRe:Not what it seems by Seehund (Score:3) Thursday October 27, @11:51AMRe:Not what it seems by Guspaz (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @08:35AMRe:Not what it seems by broggyr (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @09:36AMRe:Not what it seems by Guspaz (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @10:29AM Re:Not what it seems (Score:5, Interesting) by Maset (190867) on Thursday October 27, @08:51AM (#13888185) *sigh*RTFA:'After we figured out that the iPods were a practical way of carrying these images, Apple brought out the photo iPod a few months later. That meant the images could also be viewed on the devices.' [ Reply to This | ParentRe:Not what it seems by pintomp3 (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @09:28AMRe:Not what it seems by loftwyr (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @12:38PMRe:Not what it seems by Evro (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @09:11AMRe:Not what it seems by pintomp3 (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @09:26AMUm, you're wrong... by Hamhock (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @09:30AMRe:Um, you're wrong... by somersault (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @09:51AMRe:Not what it seems by olddotter (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @10:54AM Medical information security (Score:5, Insightful) by broggyr (924379) on Thursday October 27, @08:14AM (#13888032) Wouldn't they have to be 'secured' to compy with HIPAA regulations in any way? iPods are easily pocketed, and I would think an iPod with Medical Imaging files on it would be at risk... [ Reply to ThisRe:Medical information security by Gogogoch (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @08:34AMRe:Medical information security by broggyr (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @08:51AMRe:Medical information security by wdd1040 (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @08:54AMRe:Medical information security by Gogogoch (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @10:19PMReading is Fundamental by sczimme (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @08:44AMRe:Reading is Fundamental by LeonGeeste (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @09:53AMRe:Reading is Fundamental by broggyr (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @10:21AMRe:Medical information security by blueZhift (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @08:53AMnot necessarily, no. by RMH101 (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @09:05AMRe:not necessarily, no. by LurkerXXX (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @10:15AMRe:Medical information security by shotfeel (Score:3) Thursday October 27, @09:47AMRe:Medical information security by trosenbl (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @10:09AM Re:Medical information security (Score:4, Informative) by shotfeel (235240) on Thursday October 27, @11:26AM (#13889184) Take a look at iPod nano: How to use the Screen Lock [apple.com] . It has information for the Nano, and I'm assuming the video iPod is similar.Just FYI to the point about how secure it is :Screen Lock only locks users out of the user interface. It does not encrypt data on your iPod. For example, if you use Screen Lock and then connect your iPod nano to a computer, you'll be able to manage music on your iPod with iTunes and access all data on it in disk mode (contacts, notes, and any other files you have stored on the iPod). [ Reply to This | ParentRe:Medical information security by trosenbl (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @01:09PMRe:Medical information security by mrhandstand (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @11:04AMRe:Medical information security by fitterhappier (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @10:49AMRe:Medical information security by venicebeach (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @10:53AMRe:Medical information security by trb (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @02:15PMRe:Medical information security by broggyr (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @08:58AM2 replies beneath your current threshold.2 replies beneath your current threshold. I'm just left wondering (Score:5, Insightful) by J. T. MacLeod (111094) on Thursday October 27, @08:16AM (#13888040) How this is more cost-effective--or more effective, period--than low-cost color PDAs with CF microdrives. Surely the higher resolution, larger screen, and more flexible OS would be better?It's true that high-capacity microdrives are more expensive, but that's still a lot of photos at that resolution.However it compares, it awfully neat, though, and a good example of how technology can be a real life-improvement above pure entertainment. [ Reply to ThisRe:I'm just left wondering by Evangelion (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @08:55AMRe:I'm just left wondering by J. T. MacLeod (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @09:05AMRe:I'm just left wondering by Yahweh Doesn't Exist (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @09:20AMRe:I'm just left wondering by JazzCrazed (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @10:42AMRe:I'm just left wondering by imnojezus (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @09:14AMRe:I'm just left wondering by ameoba (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @10:34AMRe:I'm just left wondering by JazzCrazed (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @10:49AMRe:I'm just left wondering by Dr.Sweety (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @11:14AMRe:I'm just left wondering by argent (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @01:06PM1 reply beneath your current threshold. Article (Score:4, Informative) by kevin_conaway (585204) on Thursday October 27, @08:17AM (#13888041) (http://pyscrabble.sf.net/ | Last Journal: Thursday April 28, @02:48PM) Before anyone gets into a tiff about viewing the images on a small iPod screen, I suggest you read the article. The physicians are merely STORING the images on the iPod and then hooking the iPod up to a personal computer (w/nice monitor) to view the images. To sum up, RTFA [ Reply to ThisRe:Article by Dan East (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @08:39AMRe:Article by ngoy (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @09:03AMRe: "...get in a tiff about it..." by KURAAKU Deibiddo (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @08:47AMRe: "...get in a tiff about it..." by altek (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @09:39AMRe:Article by dkone (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @08:55AMdoesn't change the fact it's stupid. by plasmacutter (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @09:04AMRe:doesn't change the fact it's stupid. by lpangelrob (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @09:22AMRe:Article - No YOU'RE wrong by altek (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @09:42AMDOT MAC?!?!?! by Wiwi Jumbo (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @08:18AMRe:DOT MAC?!?!?! by mritunjai (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @08:28AMRe:DOT MAC?!?!?! by BasilBrush (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @08:28AMRe:DOT MAC?!?!?! by ngoy (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @09:18AMRe:DOT MAC?!?!?! by BasilBrush (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @09:28AMRe:DOT MAC?!?!?! by ngoy (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @09:25AMThis is cool but... by Anonymous Coward (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @08:21AMRe:This is cool but... by shotfeel (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @10:04AM1 reply beneath your current threshold.I don't understand the point... by Jondo (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @08:22AMRe:I don't understand the point... by iainl (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @08:31AMSwiss DVD's are smaller? by ColdWetDog (Score:3) Thursday October 27, @11:13AMRe:I don't understand the point... by clifyt (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @08:45AMRe:I don't understand the point... by shotfeel (Score:3) Thursday October 27, @10:10AMHospital IT departments and doctors at odds by sita (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @09:12AMRe:I don't understand the point... by Yahweh Doesn't Exist (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @09:25AMbefore you throw out the baby with the water... by tsmithnj (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @08:25AMRe:before you throw out the baby with the water... by antifoidulus (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @08:42AMPatient confidentiality by graemecoates (Score:3) Thursday October 27, @08:26AM1 reply beneath your current threshold. I don't think this would fly in the US. (Score:4, Informative) by jeffs72 (711141) on Thursday October 27, @08:27AM (#13888073) (Last Journal: Monday August 23, @04:25PM) HIPPA is an utter pain in the ass from a compliance perspective, mainly because provisions in it make it very easy to litigate on. Are the images stored in 128 encrypted format on the IPOD? Does the software do journaling to document the identity of those who view it?Shame really, our legal system is going to make adoption of new tools (in medicine in particular) difficult.Still a neat concept. She should win an award or something just for outside the box thinking. [ Reply to ThisRe:I don't think this would fly in the US. by Gogogoch (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @08:38AMRe:I don't think this would fly in the US. by jeffs72 (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @08:44AMRe:I don't think this would fly in the US. by somersault (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @10:19AMRe:I don't think this would fly in the US. by Chanc_Gorkon (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @10:49AM1 reply beneath your current threshold. Let me pound this square nail into this round hole (Score:5, Insightful) by LaughingCoder (914424) on Thursday October 27, @08:27AM (#13888074) Using an iPod to store medical images is not a very good idea. There is no security, and no data integrity. And iPods are much more likely to be stolen than, say, a burned CD. All of that said, having a portable storage medium for medical images makes some sense. Perhaps this is yet another application for USB thumbdrives. Add some encryption (TrueCrypt) and an application (Osiris) that can be run from the drive and you might have a nifty little product. [ Reply to ThisRe:Let me pound this square nail into this round h by kalidasa (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @08:37AM Re:Let me pound this square nail into this round h (Score:5, Insightful) by Dark Paladin (116525) * <jhummel@NospAm.johnhummel.net> on Thursday October 27, @08:46AM (#13888174) (http://www.theapprenticepaladin.com/) I agree - the doctor in this case is really just using the iPod as a portable hard drive. All physicians have to know is "plug in iPod, pictures go in. Plug in iPod, and select the picture you want to see". The software takes care of the rest.There's nothing stopping someone from modifying the display software to encrypt the messages. I work in health care (systems and security architecture), and this would be a simple enough add-on.Besides, people stealing the iPod are more likely to wipe out the files and just use it as a music player than spend time looking at some guy's X-ray images. (Unless they *really* get off on those kind of things.) [ Reply to This | ParentRe:Let me pound this square nail into this round h by muonzoo (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @09:16AMRe:Let me pound this square nail into this round h by pxuongl (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @01:37PMRe:Let me pound this square nail into this round h by tsmithnj (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @03:08PM Not really thousands of dollars (Score:5, Insightful) by spectasaurus (415658) on Thursday October 27, @08:28AM (#13888083) I work in medical imaging, and I have used Osirix. It is easily one of the best open source image display programs around. The other most notable is Amide, but I digress. Osirix works well for scientists and others looking to save money, but I think physicians would have a difficult time saying it is better then the commercial vendors software. Commercial workstations are tens of thousands of dollars, and while the price is extremely inflated, you do often get a lot of functionality for that money. Osirix is no substitute for that. Osirix works fine as a third display terminal or something in the doctor's office, but I wouldn't want any radiologists I know using it as their primary reporting station.The part about the iPods is interesting too. Having ready and portable access to images is neat, but of course, this is not used as a primary reporting tool. It is useful to take to conferences to share interesting cases, etc, but not for any other great purpose. [ Reply to ThisRe:Not really thousands of dollars by Jeff DeMaagd (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @08:52AMRe:Not really thousands of dollars by Improv (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @12:01PMRe:Not really thousands of dollars by spectasaurus (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @09:43PMRe:Not really thousands of dollars by wattersa (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @08:25PMRe:Not really thousands of dollars by wattersa (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @08:42PMGimmick ... by Anonymous Coward (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @08:28AM Musical bedside manner (Score:5, Funny) by ewg (158266) on Thursday October 27, @08:29AM (#13888086) Plus, the doctors can have musical discussions with their patients, everything from "Doctor, doctor, gimme the news" to "I can see clearly now, the pain is gone"... [ Reply to ThisRe:Musical bedside manner by meringuoid (Score:3) Thursday October 27, @08:44AMRe:Musical bedside manner by PhiRatE (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @08:27PMRe:Musical bedside manner by BushCheney08 (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @08:52AMOblig. SNL by jaysones (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @10:27AMRe:Musical bedside manner by RFC959 (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @11:03AMRe:Musical bedside manner by Idarubicin (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @11:32AM1 reply beneath your current threshold.Cheap compared to the alternatives by Dekortage (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @08:34AMRe:Cheap compared to the alternatives by pitpe (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @09:04AMRe:Cheap compared to the alternatives by meme_police (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @05:14PMRe:Cheap compared to the alternatives by Dekortage (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @05:25PMOne Pixel Heart by SecretAsianMan (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @08:36AMGood example of the benefits of flexible platforms by mcraig (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @08:36AMMedical purposes? by Infinityis (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @08:37AMCompletely pointless use and article. by ngoy (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @08:38AMcould this be the "worst idea of the year"? by cmay (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @08:43AMJust put it on the bill. by glass_window (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @08:49AMI patent by JustOK (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @08:49AMAnother Ipod/apple advertisement for no reason by plasmacutter (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @08:52AMRe:Another Ipod/apple advertisement for no reason by Triple Click (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @10:21AMRe:Another Ipod/apple advertisement for no reason by Ash-Fox (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @10:34PMAOL Speak by Chewbacon (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @08:58AMRe:AOL Speak by Killjoy_NL (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @09:30AMPSP by BarryNorton (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @09:01AMRe:PSP by graemecoates (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @09:11AMRe:PSP by shotfeel (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @10:19AMRe:PSP by BarryNorton (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @10:25AMRe:PSP by BarryNorton (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @10:37AMRe:PSP by shotfeel (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @11:37AM Gifts from hospitals (Score:5, Interesting) by Dan East (318230) on Thursday October 27, @09:08AM (#13888280) (http://dexplor.com/) This is interesting. My first thought was why not use an external HDD - it would cost a fraction of the price, and would not be nearly as appealing a target for thieves.Having worked in a hospital for a number of years, the real purpose behind this is evident. Hospitals like to give doctors stuff. Expensive stuff like PDAs and wristwatches, as well as basic stuff like umbrellas, pens, satchels and the free food and drinks well stocked in the physician break rooms. Hospitals make their money by having patients, and besides the Emergency Department, all patients are admitted to the hospital (or referred to for various procedures) by doctors. So hospitals like to give things to physicians to thank them for making them money. In the USA laws exist, and have been strengthened in the last several years, seriously limiting what hospitals can provide for physicians. This is of course to keep these gifts from becoming outright bribes.Now in the case of these iPods we see a loophole. A way for the hospital to purchase really, really nice gifts for their doctors, under the pretense that it has some medical use. Quite interesting indeed.Dan East [ Reply to ThisBest Choice? by CrazyTalk (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @09:09AMAnother creative use: Hook it up to phone center by Betabug (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @09:10AMRe:Another creative use: Hook it up to phone cente by ngoy (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @09:38AMRe:Another creative use: Hook it up to phone cente by Betabug (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @10:17AMI can hear it now... by ChrisF79 (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @09:11AMArg! by Auraiken (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @11:01AMany excuse... by jefferson_uk (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @09:13AMIt's a fscking music player. by nmg196 (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @09:18AMDangerous by srchestnut (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @09:18AMI use my iPod to STORE (not view) medical images by NoRefill (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @09:19AMHurray! by convex_mirror (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @09:29AMhuh by Andy Gardner (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @09:30AMRe:huh by shotfeel (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @10:29AM I do this for a living and... (Score:5, Insightful) by altek (119814) on Thursday October 27, @09:32AM (#13888428) (http://www.myballsarerank.com/) I can say that there are a LOT of things wrong with this article. This is pre-school journalism at its best. Hear me out...My job title is PACS Administrator, which means I run the servers, network, diagnostic systems, etc for medical imaging in Radiology and other departments in a major healthcare organization.Let me tell you, there are A LOT of problems with something like this. Some of this will be redundant, but I'm trying to capture everything into one post. First of all, the iPod is seen as a generic external hard drive. Big deal, they made their free DICOM viewer software have the ability to export to an external drive. Second, this is a MAJOR patient confidentiality issue, and I believe is considered legal under HIPAA, but if a physician, clinician, etc lost the iPod, they could go to JAIL. I'm not kidding.Also, they also allude to actually viewing images on the photo iPods. I cannot imagine any image that could even be useful to a non-Radiology (referring phsyician, surgeon, etc) on those screens. About the lowest quality image that is useful even for referrals or comparisons is a 2MP monitor that displays at least 1280 resolution. Anything less than that is pretty much medically worthless, and for Radiologists, you typically need a 3MP display for proper detail, not to mention special graphics hardware.I'm not quite sure if this CNN article is a cry for publicity from the developers of OsiriX, or Apple. The product page for Osirix barely even mentions the iPod functionality (in the changelogs), yet I doubt Apple would bother publicizing this.As for the journalistic integrity, c'mon... I mean, the reporter spelled DICOM (format for medical image storage and transfer), "Diacom". They even spell out what it stands for after that, I don't see any A's in there!Conclusion: you should all be very scared of careless happy-go-lucky doctors and clinicians running around with your patient data on their iPod at the gym trying to see whether you have a brain tumor while jogging in the park, when someone steals their iPod and sells it on eBay! [ Reply to ThisIt's not journalism... it's fanboyism by PedroReish (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @10:26AMRe:I do this for a living and... by Anonymous Coward (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @12:21PMRe:I do this for a living and... by altek (Score:3) Thursday October 27, @03:45PM1 reply beneath your current threshold.Re:I do this for a living and... by aduthie (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @08:16PMRe:I do this for a living and... by Smurf (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @10:26PMRe:I do this for a living too by alberia (Score:1) Friday October 28, @12:17AMRe:I do this for a living and... by altek (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @03:54PM1 reply beneath your current threshold.1 reply beneath your current threshold.free ipods by pintomp3 (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @09:36AMdarn by Pozican (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @09:47AMIn related news.. by loconet (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @09:54AMHere's the Osirix URL by synthespian (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @09:55AMiPod and Osisix by drrjv (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @10:01AMAccording to my iPod... by onwardknave (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @10:37AMWhat Next? Ipod As Medical Tricorder? by gregux (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @10:41AMWell, it could be a tumor by jitterysquid (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @10:57AMshivers by brickballs (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @11:03AMiPod by certel (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @11:44AMNice name for the software by Filoviridae (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @12:09PMWith the new video iPod... by sulli (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @12:10PMiCan See It Now by Ranger (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @12:20PMOld Story Move Along by micr050ft (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @12:33PMDeveloper accessibility by cocoamix (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @12:40PMhuh by binarybum (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @01:59PMipod as platform by The_Rook (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @02:00PMTime to place bets again... by Moggie68 (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @03:26PMAll that I know... by meme_police (Score:2) Thursday October 27, @05:05PMMore info on the development of OsiriX by mojotunes (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @06:31PMBetter late then never... by lukej (Score:1) Thursday October 27, @10:19PM