US doctors turn to thumbs for diagnosis and treatment by text

Dr Nguyen using her smartphone to communicate with a remote patient from her Sacramento, California, home. The medical industry is seeing a growing form of care where doctors diagnose, treat and prescribe through secure text messages. — Photos: AP

SACRAMENTO, California: Dr Anna Nguyen spoke with none of the five patients she treated on a recent weekday morning. She didn't even leave her dining room.

The emergency physician nevertheless helped a pregnant Ohio woman handle hip pain, examined a Michigan man's sore throat and texted a mom whose son became sick during a family trip to Mexico.