7 Healthcast: PDA's Military Medicine

High-tech help for military medics in America at War.

On the battlefield tending to the wounded in the middle of the desert means all kinds of challenges. But there's no time to check medical books to answer any questions. A Hudson company has changed that. Janet Wu shows how the company puts crucial medical information right into the palm of their hand.

Troops carry a lot into the battlefield, but military doctors can leave their books behind. All these medical and military books can now be put on a PDA. Field doctors are amazed.

Captain Dan Brock, U.S. Air Force Reserve
"It's two taps and I'm right at the medication I need."

Skyscape's founder wasn't thinking about war when he dreamed up this technology. His wife's a doctor. He wanted to make her life easier.

Sandeep Shah, Skyscape CEO
"From the time a patient walks in front of you, you are able to get what you are looking for in two to three seconds."

It's proving invaluable on the battlefield where time is critical and many health problems are new.

Captain Dan Brock
"Imagine a patient presents with a rash… You can pull up diagnosis and treatment information very, very rapidly. So here I'm actually looking at different types of lesions on the skin."

Kelli Bravo, Skyscape
"You can compare this to what you're seeing on the patient you're speaking to."

It's much faster than combing through reference books or questioning colleagues.

Captain Dan Brock
"I'm going to quickly type in shock and look at my choices. I have anaphylactic shock, to diagnosis of shock, fluid rescucitation of shock."

Kelli Bravo, Skyscape
"I found shock but I'm a little behind you."

Captain Dan Brock
"It saves me from literally carrying a stack of books this high."

Lightening their load in a difficult environment.