This is one of the rare occasions where we see an Unbound Medicine title that can be directly purchased in App Store rather than a free template to be filled by the contents when we subscribe.
The new edition has several updates of the contents but no new sections seen. Of note, is that the free copy that comes with Merck Medicus is not updated [Merck Medicus told me that it's not likely in the near future and they'll keep the fourth edition for now].
With the new edition we still have the same wishes that we had about the previous edition which are:
Some more images to accompany the imaging tests.
Age based normal reference values will be greatly appreciated in pediatric practice.
When I first downloaded Skyscape’s Medical Bag for only $1.99, I was telling myself OK this would be very simple for sure. Telling myself that this must be a shrunken version of Skyscape’s titles seducing us to buy the fuller versions, a standard marketing strategy still valid in the tech world. Much like getting a tiny free sample of an expensive perfume.
However, and stunningly, it was not! Play this video for details;
In fact if you see the video above it shows clearly that the life support content is exactly as the original version and the selected calculators are closer to Archimedes 360 than it is to the free Archimedes. Only the lab section is perhaps significantly trimmed down from the original Labs 360, but in any case still they include what is commonly asked for in clinical practice.
But anyway this is a great deal. The combined prices of the original components is over $80 in Skyscape’s Website and you get them all for only $1.99! Are they serious?
This is not the first time Skyscape is giving away their titles in such a low price. They have done it before in their first iPhone app, the Skyscape Medical Resources. Probably, they realized that selling thousands [may be hundreds of thousands] of low priced apps is more profitable than selling hundreds of high priced apps.
Note that both Skyscape Medical Resources and Skyscape Medical Bag are not offered in the Skyscape website only in iTunes App Store, and there are no Palm or WM or BB versions, only iPhone version. Why? may be they want to take advantage of the alarmingly increasing number of “iPhone” doctors!
Ultimately, this is good for us consumers. We certainly love lower prices.
So here’s my advice; if you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, Do not buy Life Support 360, And perhaps Don’t buy Archimedes 360 and Labs 360 either.
And if you don’t have an iPhone or iPod Touch, get yourself one of them soon.
Of note, Skyscape is using their properiatory titles in these “subsidized” collections because otherwise they would have to pay royalties if they for example include the Harriet Lane or Davis’s Drug Guide.
During our training years, most of us carried paper notes and clippings of those great advices from senior smart colleagues, now no longer if you have an iPhone or iPod Touch!
Here we have another smart app from Free Radical Software, the “Lytes“. The name is not a misnomer it is a shortened form of electrolytes appropriately reflecting the function of the app which is a shortcut toward the management of diselectrolytemias.
Have a look here;
The Lytes can be purchased directly from app store here, for only $3. These three bucks is a great investment that can make our life much easier in clinical practice.
In many iPhone apps that are being released nowadays you either get a great wow factor or you get some less awesomeness but with serious productivity and relevance to clinical practice. Lytes combines the two.
It provides instant access to the causes, signs, treatment, and references of the disorder, once again, in a great slot machine like single interface with smooth flicking.
These disorders inherently make nuisance in practice as they are difficult to remember and to tackle even though they are seen in a day to day practice, this app has made it much easier for us.
Unlike Acid Plus, when we tilt the device into landscape horizontal mode, nothing happens. We suggest to the makers that a tilt here can produce some management flowcharts with yes or no steps to dx and rx the disorder. Another thing they can do is to link the references quoted at the end to live URLs that open up in Safari.
In a nutshell, this is a must-have clinical companion for every practicing physician.
The ARUPconsult “physicians lab and test guide” is available in all sorts of formats that we can think of; online access, a PDA version, as an AvantGo channel, and also as a mobile site, this is what we are talking about other developers should think seriously to do the same if they want their software to be used / purchased by as many as possible.
The fun part is that all these platforms are just free… yes free. You don’t need even to register with them!
OK now let’s start with the Pros of this laboratory guide
1)Free download 2)Multiple platforms as mentioned above 3)Easy and clean interface 4)Pages load quickly 5)Appropriately cross linked 6)Beautiful disease centered theme 7)Enough detailed clinical background for each test 8th)Standard reference from the national guideline clearinghouse9)frequent updates “6 times a year”
But there are a number of Cons of the ARUPconsult program
1)Not pediatric specific and age specific references of normal values are missing 2)No panels like CBC, Urine, or others 3)Algorithms do not work (I tried the mobile site and the AvantGo channel) the list is there but they are dead links 4)No information about preparation and patient instructions 5)Several lab tests are missing such as C reactive protein and procalcitonin! 6)I tried to download the PDA version from their web page which mentions that we have to register BUT there is no registration link! If you find that link please comment on this post.
In a netshell, this piece of software is very useful at the bedside although there are many enhancements needed which is hopefully are going to be there as the reference is updated relatively frequently.
If you wish to read more detailed review check out these pda4peds web pages
Finally if you like this program please vote for it in our Best Pediatric Programs page and choose either the Free category or the Labs and Tests category to vote. NB- Voting for the best pediatric mobile site is not yet available.
As the name implies this is a bilirubin tool. A calculator which intelligibly computes the risks at a given bilirubin level and baby age. Not only that but it also stratifies the risks into low, medium, and high with explanations, this is certainly useful and obviates the need for looking at NICU board mounted nomograms!
Honestly, though, I was using the freely available AAP risk nomogram (have a look here), I just downloaded the jpg picture to my PDA and opened it whenever I need (see picture below). However Bilitool clearly replaced the trick and is much more useful and easier to use.
