What's New

April 30, 2004

 
AHRQ Interactive Preventive Services Selector

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has announced a second clinical decision-support tool for personal digital assistants (PDAs) that is designed to help clinicians deliver evidence-based care when they are with a patient.

AHRQ's new interactive tool, the Preventive Services Selector, is designed to help clinicians quickly and easily search for preventive services based on patients' age and gender.

"This new tool puts the latest information about prevention into the hands of doctors, who can put it to use immediately by recommending the appropriate preventive services for each individual patient," said Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson. "It's one of the many ways that we're working to tap the power of modern technology to improve the quality of care for all Americans."

The interactive preventive services tool is based on the latest recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. The tool will be automatically updated with new Task Force recommendations each time the PDA is synchronized. The Task Force, sponsored by AHRQ, is the leading independent panel of experts in prevention and primary care. The Task Force conducts rigorous, impartial assessments of all of the scientific evidence for a broad range of preventive services, and its recommendations are considered the gold standard for clinical prevention.

On the downside, the download is a Windows-only .exe file (Boo, hiss!) Mac and Linux users are out of luck. Welcome to the naughty list, AHRQ! :-(
posted by Kent 5:35 PM | |

April 28, 2004

 
PalmOne Introduces New Handhelds, Reaffirms Mac Support

PalmOne added a pair of color handhelds to its Zire product line Wednesday. But more important to Mac users, the PDA maker also reaffirmed its long-term support for the Macintosh platform in the aftermath of reports that the next version of Palm OS would drop native Mac support.

For the full story, visit MacCentral.
posted by Kent 8:34 AM | |

April 27, 2004

 
The Osler Medical Handbook

The Osler Medical Handbook from Skyscape covers all of the essential topics encountered in the daily practice—written by contributors from the Johns Hopkins Hospital. A volume in the Mosby Handbook series, it concisely discusses all diseases and disorders in an easy-to-follow, standardized outline format. Readers will find all of the features that have made The Harriet Lane Handbook the most popular handbook in pediatrics. Within each section is information on pearls and pitfalls, differential diagnoses, algorithms, and reviews of the most current literature.
posted by Kent 8:49 PM | |

 
Midnight Medicine

Midnight Medicine, from Medical Wizards is a quick-reference to assist emergency physicians, primary care docs, mid-level providers and house staff in managing common medical emergencies.

The third edition has been completely revised and updated with new entries for atrial fibrillation, unstable angina, headache, toxicology, and endotracheal intubation. All information has been optimized for display in the PDA format, and a comprehensive index facilitates rapid navigation.

A powerful bonus is the addition of integrated calculators for many drug doses and for the numerous clinical scales and scoring systems.


posted by Kent 8:44 PM | |

April 26, 2004

 
PDA App Vendor Adds EMR Technology

Ramp Corp., a PDA prescription software vendor, will purchase Berdy Medical Systems Inc., a vendor of health care information systems.

Berdy Medical Systems is a vendor of electronic medical records systems, as well as voice recognition applications and language processing technologies. Its founders, Jack Berdy, M.D., and Rick Holtmeier, are expected to join Ramp as part of the acquisition.

New York-based Ramp Corp.'s wholly owned subsidiary, HealthRamp, is a vendor of PDA-based electronic prescription software. Its CarePoint application features drug interaction tools, lab ordering, results and formulary reference data. It can be used on smart phones or PDAs running the Palm OS or Windows Mobile operating system.

Source: Mobile Health Data
posted by Kent 9:06 PM | |

 
Medical Letter Releases Mobile Drug Guidelines

Medical Letter, a nonprofit organization founded in 1958, has released a Palm OS version of its Treatment Guidelines. The publication provides unbiased drug prescribing recommendations to physicians and other healthcare professionals. These guidelines are also available in print and online.

According to Medical Letter, each month, Treatment Guidelines from The Medical Letter provides prescribing and formulary recommendations for diseases such as diabetes, asthma, osteoporosis, hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, heart failure, cancer, high cholesterol levels, epilepsy, pain, depression, as well as treatment of bacterial, fungal and viral infections. There are also PDA retail price comparison and dosage charts.

"The unique editorial process used to produce Treatment Guidelines results in prescribing recommendations that are free of pharmaceutical influence," said deputy editor Gianna Zuccotti, M.D., M.P.H. "Now these trusted recommendations can be easily accessed by physicians through their PDA."

In addition to its newsletters, Medical Letter also publishes handbooks and software on topics such as adverse drug interactions and antimicrobial therapy.

Source: PDAStreet
posted by Kent 9:04 PM | |

April 24, 2004

 
Skyscape Supports the Mac

I had previously criticized Skyscape and other vendors (see the archives for February 8, 2004) for providing Windows-only .exe files for their Palm OS downloads, effectively preventing Macintosh and Linux users from installing their programs. I recently noticed that Skyscape now provides Mac-compatible .sit (Stuffit) files as well, which will make it much easier for Mac users to try and buy Skyscape titles. Way to go, Skyscape! You're off the "naughty list". :-)
posted by Kent 7:16 AM | |

April 23, 2004

 
MedCalc Updated

Mathias Tschopp's super-useful (and still free) medical calculator MedCalc has been updated.

Version 5.0 adds 3 formulas (target height, pressure gradient, two-way table), a new onscreen numeric keypad on most formulas to ease data input (Finally!), an option to view detailed information in place of the virtual Graffiti area on compatible devices, support for the collapsible input area on Sony devices, and the usual bug fixes.

A must-have upgrade!
posted by Kent 7:27 PM | |

April 21, 2004

 
American College of Physicians Partners with Skyscape

Skyscape offers one of the most popular platforms for medical publishers to mobilize their content for physicians and other healthcare professionals. The company can add another feather to its cap, as the American College of Physicians (ACP) has selected Skyscape to provide the first fully integrated version of its Physicians' Information and Education Resource (PIER) for Palm OS and Pocket PC handhelds.

The American College of Physicians is the nation's largest medical specialty organization and second-largest physician group. Its membership comprises more than 115,000 internal medicine physicians, related subspecialists and medical students.

"More of our members are using PDAs as part of their daily practice, and this product will provide them with a reference that will cross-index seamlessly with their other Skyscape PDA references to fully realize the usefulness of Physicians’ Information and Education Resource’s evidence-based approach," said ACP Executive Vice President and CEO John Tooker, MD, MBA, FACP.

Developed and continually updated by the American College of Physicians, Physicians' Information and Education Resource, is a decision-support tool designed for rapid point-of-care delivery of evidence-based guidance for clinicians. Its disease-based modules present a series of guidance statements and practice recommendations, supported by more detailed levels of rationale and evidence.

Other medical organizations mobilizing their content via Skyscape include the American College of Cardiology Foundation, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Joint Committee on Cancer, and American Psychiatric Association.

Source: PDAStreet
posted by Kent 7:22 PM | |

 
Habla Español?

Dr. Mohammad Al-Ubaydli's Handhelds for Doctors was recently translated into Spanish, and he is looking for some Spanish-speaking medical PDA users to review it. If you speak Spanish and are interested in being a reviewer, let Dr. Al-Ubaydli know.
posted by Kent 1:32 PM | |

April 16, 2004

 
Ident-A-Drug

Pharmacists, physicians, and nurses frequently need to be able to identify tablets and capsules. Patients often present a tablet or capsule and say "I need more of these" or "What are these for?" Many times a patient will be admitted to a hospital, long-term care, or intermediate care facility and have some medication in their possession that needs to be identified.

Pharmaceutical tablets and capsules are imprinted with identification codes on them. Skyscape's Ident-A-Drug enables quick, accurate identification of oral tablets and capsules used in North America using the imprinted identification code, along with the color, size, and shape of the product, and includes NDC numbers, manufacturers, use, doses, etc. If the drug is a narcotic or in one of the schedules determined by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the schedule information is also shown.
posted by Kent 4:39 PM | |

April 13, 2004

 
The Washington Manual General Internal Medicine Consult

Prepared by residents, fellows, and attending physicians, The Washington Manual General Internal Medicine Consult is a practical guide to the general internal medicine consult. It is ideally suited for residents called on to do an inpatient consult, for students working on an inpatient medicine service, and for specialists seeking information on general internal medicine management. The content is based on the top 25 most common general internal medicine consults requested of the hospitalist service at the Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University. Coverage includes clinical presentations, perioperative management as it relates to a clinical consult, guidelines on the appropriate conduct and approach of a medical consultant, and reviews of selected clinical trials. From Skyscape, of course.
posted by Kent 7:04 PM | |

April 12, 2004

 
Pharmacists Get Free PDA Drug App

Members of the Washington-based American Pharmacists Association will have free access to PDA-based drug reference software from Greenwood Village, Colo.-based Micromedex. The organization's student and professional members will be able to download information from the vendor's health care databases onto PDAs running the Palm OS or Windows Mobile operating systems.

The databases feature concise information on a variety of drugs, alternative medicines, toxicology and drug interactions. Many clinicians use the software when prescribing medications for their patients.

Source: Mobile Health Data
posted by Kent 6:17 PM | |

April 11, 2004

 
ebm2go

ebm2go was recently updated to include a cardiovascular risk calculator. The CVD Risk Calculator allows you to rapidly calculate your patient's 10-year cardiac risk and recommended targets for lipids. Ebm2go and the CVD Risk Calculator are both Palm and Pocket PC Compatible. Ebm2go is a growing suite of medical software for the PDA that is still free!
posted by Kent 9:41 PM | |

 
PMRRx (Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Pocketpedia)

Skyscape's Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Pocketpedia is a handy quick-reference tool for busy residents and clinicians. It contains charts, tables, diagrams, and illustrations that present key facts and points essential for day-to-day patient care. The content was compiled and field-tested by residents in the PM&R department at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who know from experience what information clinicians need at their fingertips.

Coverage encompasses all disorders, diagnostic tests, and treatment modalities and includes a pharmacopeia. Users can quickly find the information they need by browsing the Table of Contents or searching by subject.
posted by Kent 9:26 PM | |

April 5, 2004

 
A Constellation of New Releases from Skyscape

Skyscape today announced its new line of Constellation suites - the first and only fully integrated, all-in-one handheld solutions customized for individual medical specialties. Unlike other handheld references, Skyscape Constellation suites are comprised of top references and clinical decision making tools ­ all integrated utilizing Skyscape’s patented smARTlink functionality.

The first five Constellation suites are for Anesthesiology, Cardiology, Emergency Medicine, Nursing and Pediatrics. Skyscape will introduce Constellation suites for additional specialties later this year.
posted by Kent 8:16 PM | |

 
ePocrates Dx + Rx Review

Daniel B. Hier, M.D has posted a review of ePocrates Dx and Rx on pdaMD.com.

"The seamless integration of the 5MCC with ePocrates Rx is an impressive achievement for ePocrates. This integration creates synergy between two very good PDA products and makes the ePocrates Clinical Suite a powerful clinical tool. Rich diagnostic and therapeutic information is now combined in a single clinical tool that is concise, up to date, and easy to use. ePocrates is beginning to tip their hand. They are moving out of the pure drug monograph distribution business into the knowledge management business. They are providing clinicians with the knowledge they need in order to manage and treat their patients effectively. The ePocrates Clinical Suite for the Palm OS is a significant step in this new direction."
posted by Kent 8:12 PM | |

April 1, 2004

 
DHMO Detector from TealPoint

TealDHMO uses the IR port of your handheld to perform a test for the presence of DHMO (Dihydrogen Monoxide), a chemical which has been found to be harmful when inhaled or subjected to prolonged exposure. The technology used in TealDHMO is experimental, so results returned by it are preliminary and should not be considered conclusive. Users, particularly those who get positive test results, should carefully read more about DHMO online.


posted by Kent 11:35 PM | |

 
New Formulary and eRx Tools from AdvancePCS

iScribe Formulary Reference allows you to efficiently check formulary status and alternatives for all the patients in your practice — information is available for more than 3,000 national and regional managed care organizations, Blue Cross Blue Shield plans and employers (not just organizations affiliated with AdvancePCS).

Coming soon, iScribe Electronic Prescribing will allow you to write prescriptions, access formulary information and print or transmit legible prescriptions using your Palm OS-compatible PDA.


posted by Kent 8:39 PM | |

Visit the Archives for previous news items.