Hospital Using IPod For High Tech Patient Education

Cardiovascular Disease in the U.S. The American Heart Association estimates more than 70 million Americans have one or more forms of cardiovascular disease. Some of the most common types include: high blood pressure (65 million Americans), coronary heart disease (13 million), congestive heart failure (4.9 million) and stroke (5.4 million). Although cardiovascular disease can occur at any age, it is more common in older people, affecting 27 million of those 65 and older. And as our population ages, the number of cases are expected to increase dramatically. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., killing 1.4 million Americans annually, or about 2,600/day.

High Tech Patient Education Many consumers use the Internet to search for information on health and diseases. Now, some healthcare researchers are using high-tech gadgets to relay important information to consumers. The latest trend combines broadcasting and iPod (or similar) technologies to create "Podcasts." A Podcast is actually a digital video/audio file that is placed onto the Internet for users or subscribers to download. Once the files are downloaded, they can be viewed at any time.

At Arizona Heart Institute, experts have a variety of Podcasts available for the public. Examples of current programs include "Women and Heart Disease," "Coronary Artery Disease," "Coronary Artery Bypass," "Congestive Heart Failure" and "Congenital Heart Disease." For those who don't have an iPod or similar device, some programs can be viewed directly from the Internet as "Webcasts." Arizona Heart Institute also has Podcasts and Webcasts tailored just for medical professionals.

In our technology-driven society, the use of high-tech gadgets for information distribution isn't surprising. A recent Pew Internet survey found more than 22 million Americans own an iPod or MP3 player and 29 percent of them have used the devices to download Podcasts. For heart patients, Podcasts, such as those offered by the Arizona Heart Institute, provide a good source of accurate, timely information relating to diseases, treatment and prevention.

For information about the hospital's iPod® service for heart information: http://www.cvmd.org

For general information on cardiovascular disease: American Heart Association, http://www.americanheart.org, or contact your local chapter National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov