According to an interesting new analysis from Keith Speights of The Motley Fool, Apple has “accidentally” revolutionized health care through the release of its popular iDevice products.

“It used to be said that an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” Speights asserts. “That could still be applicable, but the opposite is true for doctors and Apple. Physicians love their iPhones and iPads.”

A study by Manhattan Research in 2011 found that 75% of physicians owned at least one Apple product. Vitera Healthcare’s 2012 survey of health-care professionals backed up this high number. The company’s study found that 60% of respondents used an iPhone and 45% owned an iPad.

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Apple spotlighted a new profile from Bloomberg on its official website today that highlights the incredible work of Ed Summers, head of accessibility at international software company SAS.

According to today’s report, Summers “has made it his mission to help other visually impaired people unlock the power of the iPad.”

Summers is traveling around the United States to teach educators how to maximize the device’s built-in accessibility features in their classrooms.

Apple says that tablets are growing in popularity among educators. In particular, Summers says the iPad is “opening up a whole world” for visually impaired students.

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In an effort to make today’s leading mobile technologies as user-friendly as possible for those with disabilities, Apple’s iPhone may soon serve up an application for blind individuals the world over.

According to the BBC, Mike May from Sendero Group has developed something called the People Finder app (similar to Apple’s Friend Finder app). The only difference is that People Finder is specifically designed for the visually impaired.

“As a blind person I’d love to be made aware of when somebody I know is near by, so that I can meet with them,” May tells the BBC. “As a bonus, you will also be careful not to talk about someone if you know they might be in hearing distance.”

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As a potentially effective method for helping members of the U.S. Navy deal with post-traumatic stress, a new iPad app is in development from the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR).

The Stress Resilience Training System App, co-funded by the Office of Naval Research and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, is said to provide Sailors and Marines “with information about stress and resilience and how to apply this knowledge to their missions.”

Without question, the military takes seriously the dangers of PTSD on soldiers. 21 percent of military personnel returning from overseas contingency operations (OCO) in Afghanistan and Iraq suffer from PTSD.

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A mobile application optimized for Apple’s iPad will be used during the 2013-14 NFL season for the purpose of helping teams discover if a player has suffered a concussion on the field.

ESPN reports that the NFL is increasingly concerned with the dangers of improperly treated or misdiagnosed head trauma. As a result of this high-tech effort, the NFL is being praised for using the latest mHealth resources to ensure the wellness of players.

League officials demonstrated how the new system will work at the annual scouting combine Friday in Indianapolis. The move comes after a recommendation from the NFL’s Head, Neck & Spine Committee.

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Since it’s market debut in 2010, Apple’s iPad has become a key fixture in the rapidly expanding telehealth industry. Along with a select few Android-powered devices, iOS and the little green robot have largely dominated any roles where tablets have been needed in a contemporary healthcare setting.

But according to a new report from EHR Intelligence, Android and iOS may be getting some company in the mHealth department thanks to Microsoft’s recent launch of the Surface tablet line.

With new offerings like Lync, an enterprise-grade platform similar to consumer-oriented Skype, Microsoft hopes that physicians will turn to the Surface for telehealth initiatives that are just starting to take off around the country.

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On Tuesday, Apple surprised the tablet community by unveiling a new high-capacity 128-gigabyte model of the fourth-generation iPad with Retina display.

The new tablet effectively doubles the previous maximum capacity offered by the iPad. As a result, some are saying this could be the tablet that helps to more rapidly drive mHealth adoption at hospitals and medical facilities everywhere.

“Dspite the lightweight and portable conveniences that come with using mobile devices in the administration of health care,” says mobile tech analyst Bryan Kenders, “many of today’s leading mobile devices lack the sheer power of commercial grade medical equiipment. More powerful tablets will certainly speed up th process by which these devices become critical tools in hospitals and clinics.”
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