Saturday, March 12, 2011

Bishop Score for HP / Palm WebOS

As announced previously, the most basic Bishop Score calculator for WebOS devices (HP / Palm Pre and Touchpad and similar devices) is now out.  It is an app for physicians and nurses and midwives to use with pregnant moms.  I will add more info to it over time.  Please leave me feedback here.

update 3/19/11 - I just uploaded to the HP WebOS App Catalog tonight.  Previously, it had been in the HP WebOS Web Distribution Channel, which is not as easily available to WebOS users. It may take a few days to show up in the App Catalog, while it awaits review.

WebOS Developer here

I am now an "official" developer, having posted an app to the HP Palm Application Catalog (Web Distribution feed).  It is just a simple Bishop Score calculator that I am using to teach myself how to make apps for HP WebOS devices (currently Palm Pre, Pixi phones.  TouchPad tablet and more phones and even desktops coming).

 I am doing this because I am a obsessive-compulsive technophile family doctor.  I like good tools - whether it is in my pocket in Labor and Delivery, on the ranch fixing fences, on my camper, or on my computer.  The old PalmOS PDAs and phones had great medical tools for obstetrics.  However, WebOS doesn't yet have the depth of medical apps. 

Fortunately, Dr. Alan Teh in Singapore has stepped forward and made a whole suite of medical apps. His site is here: http://palmdoc.net/ .  Also, in response to some ideas back and forth on PreCentral.net, SiratoXero started OB Tracker, an app to keep an OB list on WebOS devices.  Sirato got busy though, so he handed the code off to me to finish.

Since I know (knew) nothing about coding other than some high-school programming courses on TRS-80's in the 80's(!), I am starting by programming a Bishop Score calculator to learn how to do this.  Dr. Teh graciously got me started with instructions and a code framework to flesh out.  It is a free app, available here: http://developer.palm.com/appredirect/?packageid=com.monkonapps.bishopscore . 

When this app is satisfactory and I have learned more (a long ways to go!), I will start working on the OB Tracker app.  The goal of the OB Tracker app will be an encrypted HIPAA-compliant  list of pregnant moms that can be sync'd to a laptop without every putting any information on the cloud".  With it, a doctor or midwife will be able to keep their pregnant mom list of EDD's, blood types, Group B Strep status, G's and P's, and a free-text note field, too.

Why is this important?  So we can plan when to be out of town!  (That and the rather more important ability to instantly look up critical information on moms during obstetric emergencies or while discussing with consultants or checking out to partners, etc).

HP requires developers to have a web site.... so this is it.  Leave me comments/questions, and I will try to check this enough to be helpful.

A huge "thanks" to the moms who let us be part of their miracles, and to Dr. Alan Teh of Singapore, and SiratoXero, without whom I would still be trying to figure out what JSON is important for!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Winter in Wisconsin

Can be a restless time.  People get tired of the same 4 walls around them, the same piles of dirty snow around their driveways, the same old paychecks, etc.  So we go to the capitol and protest!  Power to the people!  Da*n the torpedoes, and full union ahead!

As usual, the best course probably lies somewhere in between our govenor Moammar Walker and "screw you and the state and any chance of competitiveness or keeping businesses open" unions.

And when it gets warm and the snow melts, we'll find better things to do I am sure.  Moammar for one will be off in Cali relaxing with his good ol' buds the Koch brothers.  A lot of teachers may be looking for new jobs if they don't go back to work, soon.

And I will be taking care of patients and camping around our beautiful state on weekends!