"Residency Rater" app for pediatrics (for medical students)

If you know any medical students interested in pediatrics, make sure they know about this app:

Residency Rater - Pediatrics is designed for fourth year medical students entering pediatrics. The program allows students to record impressions, strengths, and weaknesses of different residency programs. As medical students consider pediatrics programs, they may choose residencies from the application's list. Users rate each program on a scale of 1 to 5 in a wide variety of different criteria. Criteria are divided into categories including work environment, curriculum, clinical interests, residents, faculty, and technology.

Users may delete criteria that are not of interest, may 'star' criteria to double the weight of specific interests, and may add additional criteria of their own in each category. When a criterion's rating slider remains at zero, that criteria is not included in the rating. At any time, users may email their ratings and program lists to themselves or others.

Get it on iTunes here.

Smartphone App Use Among Medical Providers in ACGME Training Programs

Here's an abstract from a recent journal article around smartphone adoption in residency programs. Over 85% using smartphones and the iPhone is still the most popular device. No surprises here.

The past decade has witnessed the advent of the smartphone, a device armed with computing power, mobility and downloadable "apps," that has become commonplace within the medical field as both a personal and professional tool. The popularity of medically-related apps suggests that physicians use mobile technology to assist with clinical decision making, yet usage patterns have never been quantified. A digital survey examining smartphone and associated app usage was administered via email to all ACGME training programs. Data regarding respondent specialty, level of training, use of smartphones, use of smartphone apps, desired apps, and commonly used apps were collected and analyzed. Greater than 85% of respondents used a smartphone, of which the iPhone was the most popular (56%). Over half of the respondents reported using apps in their clinical practice; the most commonly used app types were drug guides (79%), medical calculators (18%), coding and billing apps (4%) and pregnancy wheels (4%). The most frequently requested app types were textbook/reference materials (average response: 55%), classification/treatment algorithms (46%) and general medical knowledge (43%). The clinical use of smartphones and apps will likely continue to increase, and we have demonstrated an absence of high-quality and popular apps despite a strong desire among physicians and trainees. This information should be used to guide the development of future healthcare delivery systems; expanded app functionality is almost certain but reliability and ease of use will likely remain major factors in determining the successful integration of apps into clinical practice.

Franko OI, Tirrell TF. Smartphone App Use Among Medical Providers in ACGME Training Programs.
J Med Syst. 2011 Nov 4

PMID: 22052129

Residency Rater for the iPhone & iPod Touch

The University of Wisconsin Department of Family Medicine has a great app for medical students.

Residency Rater is designed for fourth year medical students entering family medicine. The app allows students to record impressions, strengths, and weaknesses of different residency programs.

Users can select and rate each residency program on a scale of 1 to 5 in a wide variety of different criteria. Criteria are divided into categories including work environment, curriculum, clinical interests, residents, faculty, and technology.

Features

* Choose from an extensive list of Family Medicine Residency Programs
* Rating criteria based on the American Academy of Family Physicians' "Strolling through the Match" checklist
* Customizable criteria - add or delete criteria, select which criteria to make active/inactive
* Double the weight of specific criteria
* Enter you own notes
* Generate reports and export data

To learn more about residency rater and to download this free app, click here.

Great deals on the Apple iPhone 3GS

As you may have suspected, AT&T now has some good deals on the iPhone 3GS and I'm sure that prices will continue to fall as customers choose the iPhone 4. This is great news for medical students and residents who are on a tight budget. If you don't need all the latest and greatest features found on the iPhone 4, then the 3GS is an exceptional phone that is very fast and still runs iOS 4 (and is capable of multitasking).

Tip: Go with a refurbished iPhone 3GS and you'll save even more.

Hospital-issued PDAs and smartphones

Do hospital-based residency programs still issue PDAs and smartphones? At one time, one of the major benefits associated with certain residency programs included:

• Laptop and/or PDA issued by the hospital
  

Now that most medical school graduates are probably entering residency programs with their own laptops and PDAs or smartphones, what are hospitals doing?

When my wife was in her residency at the University of Pennsylvania, they let her use a Dell laptop for 3 years. At the end of those 3 years, she had to either "buy" that laptop or she could return it to the department. We had enough computers around the house, so she simply returned her laptop.

So what are residency programs doing these days? It would seem silly to me if they're still issuing standalone PDAs to their residents who probably already have iPhones, BlackBerrys, Androids, etc. 

Leverage group discounts on Epocrates products

Discounts are available on Epocrates products for organizations such as hospitals, schools, residency programs, medical groups and government agencies. Discounts start at 10 users for Epocrates Essentials and Essentials Deluxe and 20 users for Epocrates Rx Pro and Epocrates Online Premium.

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

Nokia N900 Internet Tablet

The Nokia N900 is an "Internet Tablet" and a GSM smartphone. However, you'll have a really difficult time finding medical apps for this device since it does not run your "typical" smartphone operating system. You just won't find much medical software that will run on Linux Maemo. However, if you're content researching and accessing all your health content via a mobile web browser, then the N900 may end up working out for you.

I wouldn't recommend the N900 to medical students or residents because you'll be much more productive if you can load medical apps directly on your device to boost your productivity. If you're looking purely for a recreational device, then the N900 is a great little gadget "toy" for your bag or purse.

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).

Dunkin' Run is great for interns and medical students

Let's face it. When you're the low man on the totem pole, you'll be making some Dunkin Donut runs in the middle of the night. Dunkin' Run is a nice iPhone app that may come in very handy if you're a medical student or intern (senior residents don't bring coffee, do they?). If you're an intern, welcome to the real world of medicine. You've now been promoted to be the lowest man on the totem pole (medical students aren't even on the pole yet).

The Dunkin' Run is the easiest way to grab that delicious pick-me-up for you and your friends. Here's how it works:

• INVITE: Start a run at DunkinRun.com from your computer, mobile device, or our iPhone application . You are now "the runner", and pick which friends you'd like to invite by providing their email or mobile phone number (no spaces or dashes e.g. 1234567890).
• ORDER: Select what you want from the menu, and we'll contact your friends and tell them to do the same.
• RUN: Go get the goods. We'll compile all orders for you, and you can print it out or have it sent to your mobile device (if you print it, just hand the print out to the Dunkin' crew member at the shop and they'll take it from there).
• ENJOY! Bring the goodies back, and enjoy the deliciousness, along with the hero worship from your friends.

It's that Easy. Simply Invite, Order, Run, and Enjoy! Now, you'll never have an excuse to say that you didn't have time to order coffee...

Do You Use a GFR Calculator?

If you're currently using a GFR calculator on your PDA or smartphone, you should know that the CKD-EPI (Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration) has proposed a new equation to calculate GFR. If you're a medical student or resident and you get asked to calculate a GFR, your PDA or smartphone may not be adequte. Read about the new formula here: How Do You Calculate GFR?

I'm sure we'll soon see a new PDA/smartphone application that includes the CKD-EPI equation for GFR.

Mobile Manager for Netflix

If you enjoy watching movies and you have a Netflix subscription, make sure to try the Mobile Manager for Windows Mobile. If you're a medical student or a resident, then you probably don't have time to watch many movies. However, things get better after you complete your medical training.

Using the iPhone or iPod Touch in Healthcare

The Apple iPhone and iPod Touch are versatile devices that can be used in the healthcare setting. Can you think of more than 15 ways they can be used? If you're a medical student or a resident, maybe you can empty your white coat and replace some of your tools with this single device. Here's my list of 15 ways:

1. Epocrates (drug reference)
2. Web browsing (research)
3. Record patient data
4. 2-way communication with others (get rid of those pagers!)
5. Neuro/rehab tests and exercises (use the built-in accelerometer and improve your gait)
6. Visual acuity tests and exercises
7. Vibratory stimulation test (no need for that bulky tuning fork)
8. Auditory test (can you hear that high-pitched sound?)
9. Reflex hammer? Maybe, if you're really talented.
10. Take a photo of that rash or wound (great for surgery and dermatology)
11. Flash cards
12. Anatomy reference (try ADAM)
13. As a phone to answer your pages (if you still carry a pager)
14. As a flashlight in your call room
15. To watch Scrubs, ER, or other educational medical TV shows.
16. Medical podcasts, earn CME/CE credits.

I could go on and on, but I was thinking about these things as I played around with my iPod. Can you add to this list?