Hospitals are about to get really confusing.  It used to be you could tell the doctors from the other staff by the stethoscope slung casually around their neck.  Now your doctor may be any person in a white lab coat with ear phones on!

An invention by Peter Bentley, a researcher from University College London turns an Apple iPhone into a stethoscope. Last week, Bentley introduced a free version of the app, which is being downloaded by more than 500 users a day. Experts say the software, a major advance in medical technology, has saved lives and enabled doctors in remote areas to access specialist expertise.

Bentley’s iStethoscope application is not the only mobile phone programme lightening doctors’ bags and transforming their practices: there are nearly 6,000 applications related to health in the Apple App Store.

Now all that stands between never having a cold stethoscope stuck on my chest again are the regulations that are not able to keep up with these novel technologies.

The application can be downloaded here: http://www.peterjbentley.com/istethoscope.html

The complete article is available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/aug/30/iphone-replace-stethoscope