Over three million doctors have downloaded the iStethoscope application, which is replacing the use of a traditional Stethoscope in UK hospitals.
The app was designed by Professor Peter Bentley, a researcher at University College London and was originally intended to be nothing more than a toy.
However, more than 500 users a day are downloading the application which enables patients to email their heart pattern to their doctor in order to receive a professional assessment of their condition and it is said to have already saved lives.
To use the app, users press their iPhone against the chest where the inbuilt microphone on the smartphone is able to pick up on the heart beat.
The user then shakes the iPhone to hear the last eight seconds of recording and see a phonocardiograph display and a spectrogram, which can then be sent to a specialist.
Of course, it is vital that these new technologies remain effectively regulated to protect the health of patients.
It is hoped that in time, more medical apps will become available allowing smartphones to save more lives, more time and money as well as simultaneously improving healthcare for users worldwide.
