What's New

March 26, 2005

 
Usability Holds Back MD Handheld Usage

More than half of US physicians regularly use a PDA or handheld computer during the course of a typical work week - but most rely on their devices for administrative and scheduling activities - rather than for clinical tasks. Technology vendors hope that doctors' willingness to adopt new technologies to make their professional lives easier will open the floodgates to widespread adoption of portable clinical solutions - but they're still waiting.

Visit PDA Cortex to read the entire article.
posted by Kent 9:51 AM | |

March 25, 2005

 
Physicians' PDA Use Still Limited

Though more than half of U.S. physicians regularly use PDAs, most rely on their hand-helds for administrative tasks rather than accessing clinical data, according to a Forrester Research study.

The study found that 57% of surveyed physicians regularly use PDAs during the workday. Eighty percent of survey respondents who use PDAs track their appointments via the devices, and 87% use them to store contact information. The survey also found that 65% of physician PDA users check drug references via hand-helds.

However, only 7% of physician PDA users said they use hand-helds to order medications; 6% use them to access patient records; and 5% of respondents use PDAs to view lab results.

Further, of the physicians surveyed whose practices have deployed an electronic medical records system, only a third are using PDA to chart directly into the application. However, 60% of the physicians surveyed whose practices have implemented an electronic prescription system use PDAs to enter their orders.

Source: Mobile Health Data
posted by Kent 7:10 PM | |

March 24, 2005

 
Merck Titles Come Unbound

Unbound Medicine has added select medical reference titles from Merck & Co. to its hand-held and Web-based offerings. The vendor is offering access to MerckMedicus.com software via its subscription-based knowledge platform.

Merck & Co. recently enhanced the software to offer clinical reference information over an Internet connection, rather than requiring physicians to synch their mobile hardware to a desktop computer to receive an update. The software offers access to a variety of medical titles, including "The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy," "Pocket Guide to Diagnostic Tests," and abstracts of various medical journals and news.

Unbound Medicine subscribers now can access the titles on MerckMedicus.com on their handhelds. The vendor's technology can be used on smart phones, BlackBerry devices or PDAs running the Palm OS or Windows Mobile operating systems.

Source: Mobile Health Data
posted by Kent 9:29 PM | |

March 17, 2005

 
Get a Tungsten T5 for $299

For a limited time, you can take advantage of combined rebates from palmOne and Skyscape in order to get a brand-new Tungsten T5 PDA for only $299. You'll also receive a collection of medical reference tools from Skyscape at no additional charge. Click here to check it out!
posted by Kent 8:52 PM | |

 
New PDA Tool for Emergency Responders

The National Library of Medicine (NLM), a component of the National Institutes of Health, has announced the release of a PDA software tool designed to help first responders when they arrive at a hazardous material (Hazmat) incident, such as a chemical spill.

WISER (Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders) provides the emergency responder with critical information on hazardous substances, including physical characteristics, human health data, and containment and suppression information. Employing the unique characteristics of a PDA, WISER is customized for easy navigation and quick access to key information required by first responders. To aid decision making, users can specify the role they are currently performing at the scene of an incident, and WISER organizes the critical information in a sequence most relevant to a first responder on-the-scene, a Hazmat specialist, or an emergency medical specialist (EMS).

Click here for the full story from PalmInfoCenter.
posted by Kent 7:53 PM | |

March 15, 2005

 
Hopkins Opioid Program

The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins Center for Cancer Pain Research has designed an opioid conversion program to facilitate appropriate conversions from one opioid or route of administration to another. Freeware.

Thanks to Ian Chen for pointing it out!


posted by Kent 7:05 PM | |

March 13, 2005

 
When Medicine and Technology Collide

Sydney Smith over at medpundit has more on making computers work in medicine, from a resident whose hospital uses PDA's instead of tablets.
posted by Kent 9:30 AM | |

March 9, 2005

 
Geriatrics At Your Fingertips Updated

The AGS is pleased to announce the release of the 2005 (7th) Edition of Geriatrics At Your Fingertips (GAYF), the indispensable pocket guide to medical care for older adults.

In this new edition, Drs. David Reuben, Keela Herr, Jim Pacala, Jane Potter, Bruce Pollock, and Todd Semla have worked to assess key advances in geriatrics in 2004 and incorporate these into GAYF with a focus on simplicity and relevance to practice.
posted by Kent 8:14 PM | |

 
Schwartz Principles of Surgery, PDA Edition

USBMIS has announced its latest release for beta testing, the handbook companion to Schwartz Principles of Surgery, PDA Edition 7th edition.

With its extensive content and custom-designed user interface, Schwartz Principles of Surgery, PDA Edition gives you quick access to the answers you need to make the right diagnosis or initiate treatment. Interlinked content, a notes feature, and custom bookmarks make this more than a reference application. Schwartz Principles of Surgery has developed into the ultimate PDA tool for anyone enrolled in a surgical clerkship or surgical residency.
posted by Kent 8:10 PM | |

 
ePocrates MobileCME

The ePocrates MobileCME learning system provides fast, easy-to-use access to continuing medical education credits right on your mobile device. The ePocrates MobileCME learning system is a free, new service specifically developed for our on-the-go clinicians. Even though the ePocrates MobileCME product is in the Pilot stage, courses that you take provide fully accredited CME credit hours.

The ePocrates MobileCME continuing medical education solution is available at no charge for all ePocrates Essentials, ePocrates Rx Pro and ePocrates Rx users.


posted by Kent 8:06 PM | |

March 7, 2005

 
ScolioMeter

Jonathan Acey Albert, M.D., a fourth-year resident in internal medicine and pediatrics at Georgetown University Hospital, has written a cool little NS Basic application called ScolioMeter, a handy guide to help primary care physicians decide when to refer, how to treat, and what to look for in idiopathic adolescent scoliosis. Both "thin" (requires NSBRuntime) and "fat" (no runtime required) versions of the app are included for your convenience. The "fat" version will run off of expansion cards. Freeware!


posted by Kent 10:51 PM | |

March 5, 2005

 
CME Watch Now Freeware!

I originally thought CME Watch was freeware when I first mentioned it back in October. However, it was actually shareware (oops). Well, now it really is freeware! Download it quick before they change their minds. ;-)


posted by Kent 4:41 PM | |

 
Medical Student Pocket Reference Released

Beta-testing has concluded, and Bookstein's Medical Student Pocket Reference PDA Edition is ready to go.

Dr. Bookstein began writing The Medical Student's Pocket Reference during his first year of medical school, and continued to work on the book for the next ten years as he progressed through medical school, internship, residency, and fellowship. MSPR is the only resource currently available which attempts to provide a compact yet panoramic introduction / overview of medical knowledge for medical students. It also serves as a handy review for physicians.

The PDA edition features interlinked content, a comprehensive index, useful tables, classification systems, and databases.
posted by Kent 4:31 PM | |

 
Take Two Aspirins and E-Mail Me in the Morning

This makes my third non-PDA-related post in a row, but I'm curious to hear what others think of this.

Thanks to cold and flu season, most doctors' offices are exceptionally busy this time of year. In addition to patient visits, telephone volume also soars. This strains office resources, and may cause dissatisfaction for patients who either can't get appointments quickly enough, or may have to wait longer than usual for a response after they call.

A recent article in the online version of the New York Times examines doctor-patient e-mail communication, which offers one possible solution to the volume problem, particularly phone calls. It seems some insurance payors are even reimbursing physicians for e-mail communications. Hmm...getting paid for what you do. Now, that's a novel idea! ;-)

Sydney Smith over at medpundit also talks about the article, and is apparently trying out RelayHealth, a Web-based doctor-patient e-mail service that costs $49/mo.

Thoughts, anyone?
posted by Kent 11:03 AM | |

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