A New “BLACKBAG” for Physicians

by Melissa Waggenspack
Original post: JNJBTW

You may have noticed your physician using a PDA or smartphone during your last visit to the doctor’s office. According to a report by Manhattan Research, this trend is on the rise in 2009, with approximately 64 percent of U.S. physicians using a PDA or smartphone to stay connected while on-the-go.

Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc observed this increase in the number of health care professionals using mobile technologies and created the BLACKBAG™ iPhone Application, which gives physicians access to the latest medical information at their fingertips. Within the first two months of launching the app, BLACKBAG was downloaded by approximately 24,000 users.

The idea behind the BLACKBAG app was to provide physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and other health care professionals with easy access to resources and tools to help them stay informed; an electronic version of a doctor’s “black bag.” The app contains unbranded content across a number of medical areas and specialties. Health care professionals can subscribe to customized news feeds to receive breaking medical news, and access to journal summaries, conference coverage, videos and podcasts related to their areas of interest.