Mobile phones to improve the practice of neurology.

Smartphones make mobile computing at point of care practical. Smartphones can think, sync, and link. Built-in and user-installed applications facilitate communications between neurologists and their medical colleagues and patients and augment data acquisition and processing in the core medical information domains of patient data, clinical decision support, and practice management. Mobile telemedicine is becoming practical in certain scenarios. Smartphones can improve neurologic diagnosis and treatment, teaching, and research. Patients can benefit from smartphone technology. In addition to enhanced communication, patient education, and social networking, these devices can promote healthy lifestyles, preventive medicine, and compliance and even serve as monitoring and prosthetic devices. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.