Who do you trust, me or that gadget?

One of the most fascinating trends in medical computing involves the use of gadgets to extract data people are otherwise reluctant to give, and to offer advice on that data when it's needed.

On the front-end is Health eTouch, a gadget which teases uncomfortable facts out of teens while they're sitting in waiting rooms.

The teen goes off into a corner with the tablet, the tablet asks the hard questions, the teen answers with a stylus, and the resulting file goes into the record.

Kasey Kelleher of Nationwide Childrens' Hospital in Columbus, Ohio has written this gets better data out of teens than doctors can get themselves. He's now working on a follow-up to see if there really is a link between anti-depresssnts in teens and suicide.

On the other side is Zume Life, which has begun beta testing a device called the Zuri which can deliver reminders of medicine, testing, and exercise, based on a doctor's detailed recommendation.

The Zuri (above) acts as a to-do list you hang around your neck, like an iPod, with alarms at precisely the times when you need to act for your own good.

Given Microsoft's marketing problems and its new emphasis on the health care market, combining the Zuri's functions into a Zune might make sense.

So, do you trust the gadget more than the doctor? Will you obey the gadget?