Industry Trends

1 in 3 Doctors Expected to Buy iPhone 6 by Thanksgiving

Attractive doctor phoning

Attractive doctor phoningWhile Saturday is International Eat an Apple Day—one day subsequent to the launch of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus—it likely has nothing to do with the expectation that roughly a third of physicians will gobble up the tech giant’s latest offering within the next six weeks.

For a start, physicians are widely regarded as Apple fans—as reported by Forbes contributor Dan Diamond—and the iPhone 6’s larger screen could prove a great benefit when sharing clinical images or perusing medical journals. What’s more, the new device is loaded with a number of health and fitness apps.

“Doctors love their iPhones,” says Nate Gross, MD, the co-founder of Doximity (often referred to as ‘a LinkedIn for doctors.’) “We’ve seen them take screenshots of their favorite iPhone apps, like medical calculators, to share and compare.”

As noted in the Forbes article, the iPhone 6’s activity sensors and fitness features will likely give providers further incentive to embrace the latest technology.

At present, Doximity reaches more than 300,000 physicians. And according to Gross, the online social networking service’s user base is fairly representative of all U.S. doctors.

“We’ve seen roughly 85 percent of physicians using an iPhone,” says Gross. Regardless of gender or whether a physician is seasoned or just out of residency, “the iPhone has become the great equalizer.”

According to Diamond, within six weeks of the iPhone 5’s launch, it had dethroned the iPhone 4 as the most popular Apple device among Doximity physicians. And, per Doximity’s estimations, that adoption rate was four times faster than that of the general population.

“Meanwhile,” says Diamond, “the iPhone 6′s new Health app—and Apple’s new HealthKit software platform—could lead to an explosion of healthcare-related mobile applications.”
And, if that occurs, it could also provide additional opportunities for clinicians to have candid conversations with their patients about healthier choices.

Did you pre-order or do you plan to purchase the iPhone 6 or 6 Plus? If so, please tell us about your decision in the comments section below.

About the author

Bobbi Harrison

Bobbi Harrison is the communications manager at Weatherby Healthcare. She is the former editor of LocumLife and Healthcare Traveler magazines, and also served as the managing editor of Healthcare Staffing and Management Solutions. A recipient of the American Society of Business Publication Editors’ prestigious gold award, she has more than a decade of publishing experience in the staffing industry.

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