If you work in the medical field as an Emergency Medical Techician, nurse, doctor, etc. there’s two important things you need to administer effective treatment. Time and pertinent information about the injury or illness. Being an EMT, I can tell you from experience that we rarely have enough of either. So what do we do? We read lots of reference materials, and ask lots of questions when on scene. So to further aid you along in this field of continued learning here are 3 of the most widely known and used mobile medical reference software that’s been made available to the iPhone.
Starting with Epocrates Rx, a free drug reference guide whose strength lies in it’s pill identification and drug interactions database. Using only physical characteristics you can identify almost any unlabelled pill found at the scene of an incident. This is just one of the many tools available in Epocrates Rx. Also included are drug interactions, dosing, various medical calculators and up-to-date clinical and research information you get a lot without spending a dime.
If you require even more you can upgrade to the Premium Clinical Reference which is the paid subscription version by just tapping on the free trial from within Epocrates Rx itself. This upgrade adds many extras such as peer-reviewed disease content, evidence-based treatment options, alternative medications and a conscise infectious disease treatment guide.
A feature offered in both versions called DocAlerts gives you an outline on some of the latest clinical research information to review every time you sync to the Epocrates server. Should you want a more in-depth look on a particular subject in the DocAlert you can simply have it emailed to you to view the entire article at a later time.
Epocrates is not a dificult piece of software to navigate. Created in a dictionary/reference like format with the search tool permanently fixed at the top; finding information is relatively easy. If you have used Epocrates on any other mobile platform you should have no problem with Epocrates on the iPhone.
Next on the list is PEPID Elements which was created more with the doctor, nurse or medical student in mind. It’s designed to function as a clincal decision support information tool whose main focus is on toxicological emergencies. This resource provides the user with information for identifying and managing a broad range of emergencies from a simple over the counter drug overdose to the more exotic such as insect bites. Continually updated PEPID keeps you on top of the latest research and clinical information as it’s made available.
PEPID Elements is the core of their platinum series of specialty suites. With the platinum series you get more tools like drug interaction generators complete with information like dosing indicators and administration information. There are many more treatment based tools such as IV compatibility, lab manuals and even a symptom-driven diagnosis generator.
PEPID has also kept navigation simple with a similarly styled interface like the one found in Epocrates. So finding information should be a breeze.
The third application here is Skyscape which gives you access to a multitude of resources. Skyscape seems to have the largest library of the three with a current total of 41 individual reference applications for the iPhone alone. Skyscape is most noted from their Palm days with the 5-Minute Clinical Consultant application. They have since worked long and hard to offer as many services as possible in a mobile format.
Starting with Skyscape Medical Resources you get access to all their free offerings which includes a drug reference database, clinical medicine outlines an evidence-based resourse, Archimedics a medical calculator and MedAlerts an up-to-date medical journal and clinical trial resource. All basics for their richer more in-depth premium content.
Skyscape’s paid resources are variably priced as they target specific medical practices. So tailoring Skyscape to your specialty is at the heart of what makes this suite stand out from all the others. From their most famous 5-Minute Clinical Consultant to Hematology/Oncology or the more specific AJCC Cancer Staging Manual there is something for every level of medical professional.
Like the other two applications Skyscape also uses a similar dictionary/reference style interface for navigation and has kept all their mobile offerings in-line with each other to avoid large learning curves between mobile OSes.
As you can see I have only scratched the surface of what any of these applications have to offer. The wealth of information made available is incredible and makes any of these applications an excellent choice for any medical professional no matter the specialized field.
Each one requires you to sign up for a free account on their website allowing full access to all the content in their libraries. So I’d suggest using that to evaluate each one and view the subscription offerings before committing to any particular application suite. No matter which one you choose I’m sure you’ll find something that fits your medical practice needs. So check out Epocrates Rx , PEPID Elements and Skyscape Medical Resources in the App Store.
From my experience in supporting technology for the medical industry, in clinical and field environments of the said industry a natively supported, and manufactured, ruggedized hardware platform is an absolute necessity for creating effective technology leveraging.
As it stands these needs which the software's mentioned in the article meet, are currently able to be met with software for WinCE OS platforms that can be placed in a natively supported ruggedized hardware platform which is more suitable for the afforementioned medical industry environments.
Basically, to me, it appears that without natively supported ruggedized hardware platforms for the iPhone OS to be on, the iPhone OS platform simply cannot be honestly considered as a viable solution for the medical industry environments described above.
Let's make this clear. This is a software review and all of the above are and have been available for the Palm, Windows Mobile OSes for many years and now it's come to the iPhone. I am not comparing proprietary ruggedized solutions to software solutions nor the merits of on over the other and in no way do any of these titles require natively supported, and manufactured, ruggedized hardware.
Many who work in this field have their own smartphones and use this software off-duty as well as on-duty. Nor does every medical professional use their devices in environmentally compromised situations requiring a ruggedized hardware solution. And being that the all of the medical industry, private or public does not support such devices much less smartphones in general, such a dedicated solution is not economically sound for any individual to invest in. Therefore the only options are to use software on your own device or none at all. If someone really needs their device protected there are readily available ruggedized cases that will do the job just as well if not better since a case can be removed and the device used in other situations outside of the medical industry.
The iPhone is more than capable of being used in today's medical field and in most any situation just as any other smartphone on the market today. It is also not an absolute necessity to use ruggedized solutions for creating effective technology leveraging. What is required is software like what I have written about and the recognized need for it by the medical community. Hardware is a minor issue that is already available in many form factors beside just WM devices. The iPhone brings another choice to the table that is very needed as support for smartphones is still very small and viewed as more of a expense than an asset. 'Nuff said.
Firstly, no need to get hoity toity. Your review of the software was nice, and the software does have excellent usage capability in the medical industry.
My point was simply that the limits of that usage are clinical, and field environments where daily treatment to the technology basically violates the warranty for the iPhone and other devices, whether you use ruggedized add-on hardware or not. Naitively ruggedized hardware platforms are designed for the rough treatment of being dropped and banged about. As such this treatment is covered under their limited warranty. The cost of those devices is offset by the lack of need to deal with issues associated with these relatively abnormal physical conditions.
I was speaking simply about two specific environments in which ruggedized hardware is absolutely necessary to leverage technology with a meaningful ROI. Suggesting that an environment where devices are dropped, banged around and generally physically mistreated which violates the native warranty for the iPhone as well as other non-ruggedized devices, just does not make cost sense.
You described other environments under which I do agree the iPhone hardware/software solution does make cost sense. Those environments, however, were not what I was speaking to.
Hoity Toity. Well… thanks your professional and unbiased opinions on the article.
Damn, you guys can write.
@Physboy, if I understand what you are saying, you are wrong. The beauty of Apple being a hardware company over a software company is there are many accessories to choose from to provided the solution you need. When I was with WM you could never find this range off accessories, So your options were to carry around two devices. One ruggedized for work and one that was not for your personal time. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying there aren't accessories, but you'd better have a popular phone and even then your choices would be slim.
I did a quick Google search and came up with many cases that provided ruggedized solutions for the iPhone. Check out the OtterBox Defender http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4BTA9k_anM and the OtterBox Armor http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkC3naimKRg. The OtterBox Armor even gives you that ugly ruggedized WinCE look
. With these accessory options you can use the same phone all day long whether it be in a situation that requires a tough device or a slim device that fits nicely in your pocket.
Great comments guys.
@iphonedocked
Don't try to fanboy me to death. lol
You do not understand what I am saying. I can assure you that I am quite clear on the breadth of accessories available for the iPhone, and/or but not limited to ruggedizing add-ons. The two points that you are missing which were stated by me above, are the following
A) The solution I am speaking of regards a one/few to many relationship between the device and the end user/s respectively. That is what a clinical or field medical industry platform is comprised of. Medical industry companies do not furnish each individual staff member who works out of their facility with their own personal client based EMR (Electronic Medical Records)hardware. They purchase a few client hardware products for everyone to use. Bottom line is that you and Wyatt are talking about an individual solution with a one to one relationship between technology and end user respectively. While appropriate for an individual in certain scenarios the iPhone is not CURRENTLY appropriate for group enterprise solutions of the type found in the clinical and field environments of the medical industry.
B) Natively ruggedized hardware has limited warranty coverage that exceeds the limited warranties of non-natively ruggedized hardware products. Symbol is a company that makes WinCe devices which are ruggedized, and their warranties are for the device not just the case, which is what the warranty for OtterBox products is limited to: http://www.otterbox.com/warranty
Bottom line, the fact that you can ruggedized a device with 3rd party add-on hardware for individual usage does not make the device in question suitable for group environments where ruggedized hardware decreases TCO.
@iphonedocked
Don't iPhan me to death!!
You do not understand me. Your claims are regarding a scenario which is not the same scenario that I am talking about. My statements were regarding a scenario for which you are missing two important points:
A) I have been referring to a relationship of one to many regarding device and end users respectively. In the clinical and field environments for the medical industry there is a need for a single device to be shared among many users throughout the day to reduce costs.The scenario which Wyatt and yourself are referring to is a one to one relationship between the device and user.
B) Products which are natively ruggedized, E.g. (Ugly Symbol WinCe devices, as if looks were not a total strawman. lol), have a warranty which covers the rough & tumble activities for which the hardware is designed. This includes the device that is natively being protected. In no part of any of the warranties for the peicewise ruggedization solution of an iPhone (or any other non-natively ruggedized device) and ruggedized hardware add-ons is the protected device covered for rough & tumble activities. You can view the OtterBox warranty for yourself here: http://www.otterbox.com/warranty
Bottom line is that for clinical, and field environments in the medical industry where there is a cost need for a one to many relationship between devices and users respectively, the iPhone (or any other non-ruggedized device) is not an appropriate solution. Otherwise the iPhone or other solutions would be fine as I stated earlier.
Hope that clears it up.
Woops, sorry for the duplicate comments. I thought the first one was lost.
Disqus Test
@Physboy 1) You have a very snide and slick way of giving backwards compliments. And your comments here did nothing but appear to take shots at the whole point of my article. At no time did I mention hardware but you had to make a point that specialized hardware is obsolutely necessary. Therefore you opened yourself to critism. This is a constant pattern in your writing and discussions on issues you don't agree with or simply don't understand which has grown rather tiresome at this point.
2) No one is trying to “fanboy you to death” as you put it but you yourself are far from object and it shows every time. In the end you spent way to much energy explaining yourself. Get a grip and listen to yourself some time.
Really???
You want to turn this into a personal thing? What I don't understand is why on earth you would take an interjection to the topic, which was not PRO iPhone, as an offense to which you suddenly feel entitled to start pitchin' a hissy fit, and making inaccurate criticisms followed by ad hominem attacks!
I was told by JDoss that comments which were contrary as well as pro on any given topics were welcome at this site. You are making it quite clear that under NO circumstances is anyone, in particular me since you are clearly partaking in ad hominem attacks against me to ad nauseam, allowed to post ANY comments which are not OVERTLY congratulatory or PRO iPhone in nature.
Give me a break, dude. You are waaay out of line.
BTW, just so you know, the double post just before your most recent attack was an accident. I was under the impression that the first of the two did not go through. It also appears that someone took out the comment where I made that clear and appologized for it. Hmmmm…
Ladies, quit bickering.
We are here to share our personal opinions, experiences, etc. No one person is right or wrong. You both have experience in the medical field in one way or the other. Each opinion is valid and people will learn from both. I have always encouraged honest opinions and I have always encouraged challenging those opinions. It is how we grow. You guys hit on some great points. Now lets buy each other a drink
Agreed J. And no this is not personal Physboy. Wording can lead to misperseption. When we write we must remember we are writting for others and not ourselves. Something everyone forgets once in a while. I'd drink with all here.
J, I'll drink to a recant of the ad hominems. I was, and remain, kewl with everything else.
There is also a website that provides nice medical app reviews: http://www.iphonemedicalappreview.com/ . they have a decent number of medical apps they review and they consist of medical students and doctors.
medical application has been given in the blog.
Hi, I was hoping to offer up another medical app to be reviewed if you have time: Radiation Passport. It essentially tracks and estimates cancer risk from radiation exposure.
There is more information and some other general media/medical stories we've tried to compile here:
http://www.tidalpool.ca/radiationpassport/
Thanks!
Mark
Hi, I was hoping to offer up another medical app to be reviewed if you have time: Radiation Passport. It essentially tracks and estimates cancer risk from radiation exposure.
There is more information and some other general media/medical stories we've tried to compile here:
http://www.tidalpool.ca/radiationpassport/
Thanks!
Mark
Thanks for the review.
Thanks for the review.