Last week 3G Doctor's business development lead David Doherty, an active leader in the mobile health community, announced that iPhone 4 users in the UK and Ireland will be able to conduct video consultations with doctors via the 3G Doctor service by using Apple's new video calling app, FaceTime.

"We’re proud to announce that from [June 24, 2010] we’ll be making the 3G Doctor services available to UK and Irish patients who have bought the new iPhone 4 from Apple," Doherty wrote on the 3G Doctor blog. "No need to download anything, simply visit our secure mobile website, top up your account (£35 per consultation), select or enter your problem and complete the medical questionnaire, and wait for one of our informed registered doctors to video call you to consult on your problems."

A chiropractor in St. Louis, Missouri recently blogged about the potential the iPhone 4 would have to change patient-doctor relationships if video consultations became available:

"It can save patients valuable time and money by not wasting an entire evening in the ER for minor problems," Dr. Adam Tanase wrote. "It can be an added revenue stream for doctors offering direct video consultations. For patients, it can even be a new way to 'meet' prospective doctors before deciding whether or not to schedule an appointment. The way doctors and patients communicate is changing fast. More and more doctors today are using email, blogs, and Twitter to communicate with patient."

Doherty seemed to largely agree with Tanase's comments as he posted them on the 3G Doctor blog. Interestingly, Doherty added an important caveat to his post about the 3G Doctor service and FaceTime: "The only different advice we recommend for iPhone 4 customers is that they are careful to ensure their mobile remains connected within a secure private WiFi area while they are awaiting our doctor's mobile video call."

Source: 3G Doctor Blog