Get info you need without leaving patient's bedside
Phone apps save time
When John Provost, RN, started working in the ED in 2006 at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, AZ, he purchased a PalmPilot, then added some software with medical information.
"I recall how expensive this was, and that I quickly stopped using the device due to the time it took to boot up as well as attempting to locate information," he reports.
Provost says that he carries an Iphone 4, which is "lightning fast and is always ready to go with the slide of a finger across the screen. On my device, I have an organized grouping of medical apps."
Provost uses Epocrates (manufactured by San Mateo, CA-based Epocrates. For more information, see resource box, below.) for information on diseases, medications, and lab tests, and says it is his "favorite one-stop shop." "This application saves me time in terms of being able to look information up at the bedside of a patient instead of having to run back to a work station or call out for assistance," he says.
Provost also uses other medical information databases, including Medscape, Skyscape, and Pepid. (For more information, see resource box.) "This allows me to cross reference and compare information I may not trust, or when I need another description by another provider," he says.
Provost says he's had "countless occasions" where he has needed to check dosing or obtain information on a specific medication. "Having that information in my pocket at all times is a gift," he says.
Dee Alexander, RN, BSN, clinical supervisor for emergency/trauma services in the pediatric ED at St. John's Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis, occasionally uses iTriage (manufactured by Lakewood, CO-based Healthagen if she has trouble figuring out what is wrong with a patient. (For more information on iTriage, see resource box.) "It has been beneficial for teaching purposes," she adds. "I had a patient with atrial fibrillation, and I pulled up the images to show him what atrial fibrillation looked like on an EKG tracing."
Alexander has used MedCalc (a free medical calculator available at http://med-ia.ch/medcalc) frequently to calculate doses. "I find it very helpful in those very stressful situations when time is of the essence and I don't have time to run find a drug book," she says.
Sources/Resources
For more information on phone applications for emergency nurses, contact:
- Dee Alexander, RN, BSN, Clinical Supervisor, Emergency/Trauma Services, Pediatric Emergency Department, St. John's Mercy Medical Center, St. Louis, MO. Phone: (314) 251-9625. E-mail: [email protected].
- John Provost, RN, Phoenix, AZ. Phone: (602) 317-0477. E-mail: [email protected].
- ITriage, a free smartphone app containing information on thousands of symptoms, diseases and medical procedures, can be downloaded at no charge at www.itriagehealth.com/get-mobile. For more information, contact Healthagen, Lakewood, CO. Phone: (800) 985-9605. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: www.itriagehealth.com.
- Epocrates Essentials is a drug and disease and laboratory reference ($159 a year). For more information, contact Epocrates, San Mateo, CA. Phone: (650) 227-1700. Fax: (650) 227-2770. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: www.epocrates.com.
- Medscape Mobile is a free medical application for health care professionals that can be downloaded at http://www.medscape.com/public/mobileapp?src=hp-mobileapp. For more information, contact: Medscape, New York, NY. Phone: (888) 506-6098 or (212) 301-6700. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: www.medscape.com.
- Skyscape offers mobile medical apps including Porter's Pocket Guide to Emergency and Critical Care ($24.95) and Rosen and Barkin's 5-Minute Emergency Medicine Consult ($99.95). For more information, contact: Skyscape, Marlborough, MA. Phone: (508) 460-6500. Fax: (508) 460-6510. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: www.skyscape.com.
- PEPID's Professional Nursing Suite, a smart phone app that covers thousands of diseases and disorders, costs $214.95 for one year. PEPID's ED Suite app costs $254.95. For more information, contact PEPID, Evanston, IL. Phone: (888) 321-7828 Ext. 251 or (847) 491-9100. Fax: (866) 681-8207. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: www.pepid.com.
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