Essential Evidence Plus (EE+) for smartphones and other mobile devices

Essential Evidence Plus (EE+) is an online evidence-based clinical decision support solution for health care professionals. EE+ is now available for mobile devices. The only database system of filtered, synopsized, evidence-based information, this integrated search engine allows you to simultaneously search, via keyword, multiple databases:

* Essential Evidence
* EBM Guidelines
* Daily POEMs
* Cochrane Abstracts
* Selected Practice Guidelines
* Decision Support Calculators
* H&P Calculators
* Diagnostic Test Calculators
* Derm Expert
* E/M Coding
* ICD-9 Lookup Tool

Skyscape mystery coupon ends today (Feb 2)

Skyscape recently sent me a mystery coupon that will allow me to save 10%, 15%, or 20% on my purchase. Since I don't need to purchase any software from Skyscape, I thought I'd share this mystery coupon with my readers.

Here's the coupon code: WYNT-HFPQ-GRLG  (Promotion good through Feb 2nd, 2010.)

Skyscape is pleased to offer mystery coupons ranging from 10-20% off your Skyscape order. Make your selections from our portfolio of over 500 trusted medical resources across 35 specialties.

Place any Skyscape resource* in your shopping cart and then, at checkout, enter your coupon code below to see if you save 10%, 15%, or 20%.

Our commitment to provide you with quick, innovative and trusted resources goes well beyond the 'words'. Skyscape is the only company that provides over 500 resources, spanning 35+ specialties across all medical professions, available on 7 major platforms. The trusted, gold-standard content is delivered from our partners that include world's largest publishers, prestigious medical societies as well as leading medical institutions. And we know that you know this. Also, you are the reason why we have chosen to do our business in this manner.

* Discounts cannot be combined or applied to past purchases, or used on select references, Sky Platinum membership fee, Constellations, Skyscape Gift Certificates, MedStream, Value Packages or Hardware. Discounts are taken automatically at checkout.

Save 10% on Lexi-Comp Products

Looking for some medical software? Lexi-Comp is a nice option if you're looking for a comprehensive suite of medical applications.

You can save 10% on Lexi-Comp products between now and February 15 by entering the coupon code NN110 at checkout.

Lexi-Comp offers medical apps for the following smartphone operating systems:

What's your favorite medical app? If you're currently using a smartphone running Android or webOS, then your options are fairly limited. There are still many apps for Windows Mobile and BlackBerry, but sometimes I wonder how these two operating systems will compete against the Apple iPhone and Android.

When will we see more medical apps for Android?

Android smartphones have gained tremendous traction, but the development of medical apps for Android continues at a slow pace. When will we see more professional medical apps for Android?

Right now, QuantiaMD is on the top of my list for professional medical apps for the Android OS. QuantiaMD also has an iPhone app. If you're a medical student or resident, you may feel intimated by the need to enter an National Provider Identifier (NPI). You can still use the app if you don't enter an NPI, but to access all the benefits associated with using QuantiaMD, you'll need to enter your NPI.

I'm still waiting for Epocrates to release their app for the Android OS. They're planning on releasing something in the early part of 2010, so let's see what they have coming.

Top free medical apps for Android in 2009

This year, we saw Android emerge as a leading smartphone OS. In 2010, we'll see Android begin to dominate the smartphone marketplace (especially among health care professionals such as physicians, medical students, pharmacists, and nurses).

Let me list some of the top free Android medical apps for 2009 and then list my prediction for 2010. Here's the current list for 2009:

• Skyscape Reader: includes RxDrugs, Outlines in Clinical Medicine (OCM), and the Archimedes set of medical calculators.
• QxMD (pregnancy wheel and several different medical calculators)
• QuantiaMD (medical content, CME, medical challenges, and more)
• Mobile MerckMedicus (powered by Unbound Medicine)
• AgileMedCalc (several different medical calculators)

In 2010, you can expect this list to include some additional free resources such as:

• Epocrates
• MobilePDR
• WebMD/Medscape
• Medical encyclopedias
• Medical calculators
• Drug guides
  
• and many more!

So, are you excited about Android? I hope to see many electronic health record (EHR) vendors creating mobile apps for Android. The Apple iPhone continues to gain popularity among medical professionals, but Android will be right up there next to the iPhone in 2010 once we see a larger supply of medical apps for Android. As more medical students and physicians create medical apps for Android, we'll see growing excitement about this OS within the medical community.

Epocrates Essentials Deluxe for the iPhone and iPod touch

Epocrates has launched their "Essentials Deluxe" (or simply Epocrates Deluxe) for the Apple iPhone and iPod touch. So, if you're still looking for that perfect holiday gift for someone (like a medical student or resident) who has an iPhone or iPod touch, then consider a subscription to Epocrates Essentials Deluxe. An even better gift would be a box that contains an iPhone or iPod touch along with a subscription to Epocrates Essentials Deluxe. That will really impress someone!

Epocrates Essentials Deluxe includes everything found in
Epocrates Essentials plus it adds ICD-9 and CPT® codes and a medical dictionary. There's also a section where you can add frequently used ICD-9 and CPT codes in a "favorite" section as well. Great for billing!

To learn more about Epocrates Essentials Deluxe, visit Epocrates. You can also compare the different Epocrates products for the Apple iPhone and iPod touch by clicking here.

Reviewing medical apps

I've had the opportunity to review many different types of medical apps (applications) for the Apple iPhone, iPod touch; RIM BlackBerry; Palm OS; Google Android; and Microsoft Windows Mobile. I enjoy testing devices, apps, etc. It's fun to play around with different devices and apps because I find myself thinking like a software developer. In other words, I'm constantly asking myself: "What would I do differently?" "Where would I place these buttons?" "How should the navigation function?" "Is the interface confusing?"

Do you ask those questions? What may seem intuitive to one person may not be intuitive to someone else.

If you like to test and review medical apps, then perhaps you'll want to join me as I recruit people to test medical apps. You may wish to have an opportunity to test and evaluate a current app so that it could be better. Or, perhaps you'll want to provide feedback to the development team before an app is released. If you're interested, then I encourage you to join my "non-clinical healthcare professionals" network to learn more about possible future opportunities to test and evaluate smartphone medical apps.

Epocrates makes a great holiday gift

Looking for that perfect holiday gift? Do you know someone who got a new smartphone recently? Maybe they found a great Black Friday deal. Nothing beats a subscription to medical software like Epocrates.

Buy Epocrates clinical software products for someone else. Purchase a license for any Epocrates mobile or web-based product, and we will instantly email you a unique license code and an attractive certificate to present to your recipient.

To learn more, visit: http://www.epocrates.com/products/licenses

Not sure which to get? Compare your options here:
http://www.epocrates.com/products/comparison_table.html

Save 15% on All Skyscape resources

This is the season of discounts and sales. This Thanksgiving, save 15% on All Skyscape resources. This offer ends November 29, 2009! So, if you're looking for a perfect gift for that medical student, resident, or attending physician, then consider purchasing medical software.

Using mobile medical information at the point of care has been proven to reduce errors, save time and improve patient outcomes. With over 500 trusted resources covering more than 35 specialties, Skyscape provides healthcare practitioners with an unlimited selection of titles from the most expansive mobile medical library in the world.

Note: Discounts cannot be combined or applied to past purchases, or used on select references, Sky Platinum membership fee, Constellations, Skyscape Gift Certificates, MedStream, Value Packages or Hardware. Discounts are taken automatically at checkout.

You don't need any special discount codes to take advantage of this offer.
Visit: http://www.skyscape.com

Mobile MerckMedicus

Looking for some free medical software for your smartphone? Have you tried Mobile MerckMedicus? It's free and it's easy to use (thanks to Unbound Medicine). It's currently available for the following smartphone operating systems:

• BlackBerry®
• Windows Mobile®
• Palm OS® (v.5 or later)
• Android™

Yes, that's right: Android. That's Google Android. So, if you have an HTC Hero or a Motorola Droid, you're in luck!

Now, what's missing from this list? Where's the Apple iPhone? Where's webOS for the Palm Pre?

What type of content will you get? Here's the current list:

• The Merck Manual, Professional Edition [ 10 MB PDA Memory]
• Harrison's Practice - Answers on Demand [ 16 MB PDA Memory]
• Pocket Guide to Diagnostic Tests, 5/e [ 4 MB PDA Memory]
• MEDLINE Journals, Selected [ 15k PDA Memory]
• Reuters Medical News [ 15 KB PDA Memory]
• RSS News Feeds [ 5 KB PDA Memory]

You can pick and choose your content based on how much storage space you have on your device. I suggest that you use a memory card for all these large medical apps. You may quickly run out of internal RAM if you try to store these large books on your handheld.

To access Mobile MerckMedicus, visit: http://www.merckmedicus.com/pp/us/hcp/hcp_mobile_medicus.jsp

Lexi-Comp for the Palm Pre (webOS) - coming soon

If you want to get a preview ("sneek peak") of Lexi-Comp medical and dental software for the Palm Pre running webOS, then take a look at this link: http://www.lexi.com/pda/palm-pre/

The software is still in development, but you can get a sense of how the medical app will run on webOS. They have screen shots and a short video. The software interface reminds me of the iPhone, and I think that's the direction we'll see things move as more smartphones rely on finger-touch input and navigation.

To BlackBerry Storm 2 or not to Storm 2

There are too many to's (2's) in the title, right?
"To BlackBerry Storm 2 or not to Storm 2." That's the question.

I've been following the Storm 2 for several months and I'm quite excited about this device, but I'm also cautiously optimistic.

• Will the Storm 2 have enough internal RAM for medical apps? (2 GB of storage, but how much RAM for apps?) The original Storm only had 128 MB of RAM, even though it had 1 GB of storage.
  
• Will it be capable of MiFi (Wi-Fi router) capabilities?
• How will the new SurePress touch screen compare to the original SurePress?

In my mind, the original BlackBerry Storm is an excellent smartphone, but it's not very suitable for health care professionals who wish to run many medical apps because of its limited internal RAM. Will the Storm 2 be a great medical smartphone? Many physicians already use a BlackBerry. Will they switch to a touch-screen device and abandon the hardware QWERTY keyboard?

Smartphones as a "second brain" or "peripheral brain"

Back in the "old days," medical students and residents often relied on a pocket book and they referred to this as their "second brain" or "peripheral brain." This little book contained all the vital formulas, charts, tables, and clinical pearls that would help you survive the wards (and outpatient care as well).

Now, students and physicians rely on their smartphone as a second brain. The medical smartphone often contains critical medical apps such as drug references, medical database, medical calculators, conversion tools, algorithms, and much more. Plus, with a smartphone, you can easily get online. Once you have access to the Internet, then your brain is almost infinitely smarter (well, as least mine is).

So many healthcare professionals now depend on their smartphones. They couldn't live without their phone. They would feel naked - almost as if they're missing half their brain.

The Merck Manual Home Health Handbook for iPhone and iPod touch

The Merck Manual Home Health Handbook is now available for the Apple iPhone and iPod touch. You can find them using iTunes. The Home Edition is only $9.99 but the Professional Edition of the Merck Manual is $29.99. It's great to see more medical apps (software) on the iPhone, but what about BlackBerry, webOS, and Android?

For more information, visit: http://agilepartners.com/apps/merckmanuals/

Free Epocrates® Online Premium through the Wyeth HCP portal

Wyeth has an online portal for health care professionals (HCP). Through this portal, you can gain free access to resources such as:

• Epocrates® Online Premium
• The 5-Minute Clinical Consult 2009
• A-Z Drug Facts (a nice place to find drug pronunciation guides)

You have to be a health care professional to register and gain access to this site. To learn more, visit:
http://www.wyeth.com/healthcareprofessional

I don't know what's going to happen to this portal once Wyeth merges with Pfizer, so stay tuned...

New mobilePDR coming soon

Have you placed your order for the free mobilePDR? For many years, the Physicians' Desk Reference (PDR) has been considered an essential drug reference resource for every physician who wrote prescriptions (What? Some doctors don't write prescriptions? radiologists, pathologists, physician executives, public health physicians, etc.)

To register so that you can download mobilePDR in the first quarter of 2010, sign up here:
http://choice.mobilepdr.com/

Have you tried Medscape Mobile for iPhone or iPod touch?

Medscape Mobile is an app for the Apple iPhone or iPod touch and here's what it offers:

• DRUG DATABASE with over 6,000 generics and brands, browse by drug class or search by drug name
• DRUG INTERACTION CHECKER - check interactions between drugs, herbals and/or supplements
• MEDICAL NEWS and mobile CME in 30+ specialty areas
• DIRECTORIES with physicians, pharmacy, and hospital listings
• AVAILABLE FREE - no cost to download application

To learn more about Medscape Mobile, click here.

Now, you may feel left out if you don't own an iPhone or iPod touch. You can still access important content by pointing your mobile web browser here: http://mobile.medscape.com

Don't use a single Epocrates account on multiple smartphones or PDAs

I recently switched smartphones. I went from an old HTC smartphone running Windows Mobile and I tried the BlackBerry Storm. Then, I switched back to my old HTC, and then I recently ordered the HTC Touch Pro running Windows Mobile. That's the phone I'm using right now.

In the midst of all this smartphone switching, I loaded Epocrates so that I could see how it runs on the BlackBerry Storm. All of this took place over several weeks and as a result, I got a note from Epocrates indicating that my account was being used on multiple devices. I quickly explained my situation and received a pleasant reply from the support folks at Epocrates.

This made me think: perhaps some medical students and residents might try to get together and "share" a single Epocrates account on multiple smartphones or PDAs (I'll refer to the iPod touch as a PDA). If you try this, you'll run into some problems. Therefore, make sure you're using your own Epocrates account on your device.

So what if you have multiple devices? I suggest you contact Epocrates support to see what they suggest. In my case, I use a Windows Mobile smartphone. I also have an Apple iPod touch, but I don't use that as a PDA. I use my iPod touch to entertain my kids during long car rides.

Epocrates is available for free, or you may wish to purchase Epocrates Rx Pro, Epocrates Essentials, or some of the other upgraded software suites they offer (may not run on all smartphones).

Medtechnophobia?

I received a funny e-mail from Epocrates the other day:

Do you know someone who may be suffering from medtechnophobia?

As a technology expert, you are in a prime position to help your peers overcome medtechnophobia. Epocrates has identified this condition afflicting some healthcare professionals with an advanced phobia of things technological.

Do your friends suffer from any of the following symptoms?

	Backaches after carrying 50lb reference textbooks
	Headaches from searching for fast clinical answers
	Stomachaches from worrying about having enough time in the day with patients

Vist the Medtechnophobia Center today to diagnose your friends and help them find the cure.

Essential smartphone medical apps

What are the true "essential" apps (or applications) for medical students and residents? (by the time you're an attending, you shouldn't be relying on a smartphone, right?)

In some ways, I'm tempted to say, here are the essential medical software you need to survive:

1. Epocrates
2. Internet-enabled web browser (this way, you can look everything else up)

Of course, that would be the simple way of viewing things. You can't live without:

• Medical calculators (which are often included within Epocrates)
• If you can afford it, I would highly recommend UpToDate (web-based access is sufficient)
  
• the rest of this list is highly dependent on your smartphone operating system.

Medical references can be invaluable. I would recommend things like the Merck Manual, the 5 Minute Clinical Consult, etc. However, if you have access to UpToDate online, then you won't need most of those.

Finally, the list of "essentials" really depends on your level of training. If you're a 3rd year medical student on a clinical rotation, your smartphone needs are different from an intern who's expected to stay very organized and keep up with a million tasks. Your smartphone needs will evolve over time and you'll find that certain apps lose importance as you memorize one thing and rely on another. For instance, some people love the Sanford Guide while other people don't know how to use it. So my list of "essentials" is relatively short because the Internet becomes the ultimate "essential."