El producto "iPHER" a sido un éxito. En septiembre del 2006, el Gobernador Bush anuncio que la Dra. Melvin era la ganadora del premio de innovación en el estado de la Florida por crear el "iPHER." La Dra. Melvin tiene la visión que en el futuro, en caso de una emergencia, los datos importantes sobre la salud de un paciente puedan ser obtenidos por el "iPHER" aunque el paciente este inconciente o no pueda comunicarse propiamente.

El "iPHER" cuesta $150 US. Para más información sobre este producto, vaya al Internet en www.myipher.com. Recuerda que es muy importante, cuando Ud. vaya a su medico o al hospital, proveer los datos informativos sobre sus enfermedades, alergias, y medicamentos.

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You may have noticed that each time you see a new doctor, you get handed a mountain of paperwork to fill out requesting you to provide the most intimate details of your past medical and personal history. The questions are almost always the same. “What medical problems do you have?” “What surgeries have you had” What medications do you take?” “Do you have any allergies?” Even though it seems like you’ve answered the same questions a thousand times, their importance should never be underestimated. Life and death decisions are made on the information you provide to your doctor. Deadly mistakes can occur if your doctor is not well-informed about your medical history.

Dr. Naomi Melvin, PhD of Chipley, FL has worked in healthcare for more than thirty years. During this time, she recognized the importance of accurately obtaining a patient’s medical history in order to provide the most appropriate treatment for the patient and prevent unnecessary duplication of blood work and other studies. She noted that laws intended to protect a patient’s privacy had the unfortunate side effect of impeding a physician’s ability to obtain a patient’s medical records when they were needed.

In an effort to put an end to this growing problem, Dr. Melvin designed a novel electronic device which she named, “iPHER,” an acronym for “Individual Patient Health Electronic Record.” This new technology consists of a medical program that can be read by virtually any computer, contained on a small storage device. In fact, the device is so small, it can be carried in your purse, on your key chain, or on a necklace. This program contains as much of your medical history as you wish to store on it. Even copies of X-rays and results of blood work can be stored on the iPHER.

The medical program stored on the iPHER can be opened using any computer with a USB port and Microsoft Windows, such as those commonly found in public libraries. Personal information can be input into the iPHER by the patient. Alternatively, the patient’s physician may upload information onto the device. A patient can take the iPHER to each doctor’s appointment to have the latest medication changes or lab results stored on the device. Furthermore, the iPHER is capable of translating all stored information to English, Spanish, or French.

Since its debut, the iPHER has been a success. In September 2006, Governor Bush presented Dr. Melvin with the Florida Governor’s 2006 Innovation Award for creating the iPHER. Dr. Melvin envisions a day when all ambulances will be equipped with laptops and wireless internet technology. This will allow paramedics and doctors to instantly access necessary medical information from a patient’s iPHER in emergency situations when the patient cannot communicate.