Calculate (Medical Calculator) by QxMD updated

Calculate (Medical Calculator) by QxMD for iPhone has been updated.

1. Management of Peritoneal Dialysis

As the US government struggles to fund health care at current levels, more attention is being paid to the cost of dialysis services. Home peritoneal dialysis (PD) is recognized as an alternative to hemodialysis that provides excellent patient outcomes, promotes patient independence and does so at remarkably lower costs than hemodialysis. It has recently been estimated that US dialysis expenditures could be cut by >$1 Billion over 5 years simply by increasing the percentage of dialysis patients receiving PD from 8% to 15%.

As the trend to support home peritoneal dialysis continues, physicians and other health care providers will need point-of-care educational resources to support their practice.

The updated version of 'Calculate by QxMD' provides a robust module to support peritoneal dialysis practice. Content includes:

• Access Care and Complications Manual including detailed content on management of PD catethers and infectious peritonitis
• PD Prescription Guide with calculator to assist in determining the PD prescription and extensive manual to learn principles behind PD dose, adequacy and modelling.
• Rapid Access to Clinical Practice Guidelines including CSN PD Adequacy Guidelines and Recommendations 2011, ISPD PD-Related Infections Recommendations 2010 and ISPD Guidelines for Peritoneal Access
• Quick Assessment of PD Candidacy using the MATCH-D tool

Content kindly provided by Medical Education Institute Inc (MATCH-D tool), Canadian Society of Nephrology (CSN PD Adequacy Guidelines and Recommendations 2011) and Baxter (Access Care and Complications Manual, PD Prescription Guide).

2. Knowledge Translation of Novel Tools to Support Pre-operative Assessment and the Estimation of Perioperative Risk

Two new perioperative risk calculators have recently been published that offer improved predictive ability over the commonly used Revised Cardiac Risk Index. QxMD has adapted these tools and embedded them into the decision support tool and medical calculator iPhone app 'Calculate by QxMD'.

Gupta Perioperative Cardiac Risk Calculator

In collaboration with Dr. Prateek Gupta and colleagues, QxMD has adapted their model recently published in Circulation (July 2011).
This tool provides a risk estimate of perioperative myocardial infarction or cardiac arrest and is anticipated to simplify the informed consent process. Its predictive performance surpasses that of the commonly used Revised Cardiac Risk Index.

Vascular Study Group Cardiac Risk Index

In collaboration with Dr. Daniel Bertges and colleagues, QxMD has adapted the Vascular Study Group Cardiac Risk Index published in the Journal of Vascular Surgery. This model more accurately predicts in-hospital cardiac events after vascular surgery than the Revised Cardiac Risk Index.

Download Calculate by QxMD for iPhone here.