.KEYWORD spotlight0301
.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT REVIEW
.TITLE ePocrates qRx helps doctors save lives
.FEATURE
.SUMMARY If you’re like most healthcare professionals, you need access to critical treatment information at the point-of-care, not hidden away on your desktop PC. Steve Niles has chosen to spotlight an amazing mobile database of drug information called ePocrates qRx that’s saving lives by helping doctors avoid mistakes and stay informed.
.AUTHOR Steve Niles
As increasingly complicated drugs are developed against diseases and as new drugs get approved by the FDA faster than ever, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if you, as a healthcare professional, were beginning to feel overwhelmed. You’ve probably already begun using technical solutions to combat this information overload, in the form of desktop PC-based databases and online references.
However, if you’re like most physicians, such solutions don’t necessarily fit into your normal work pattern, as you spend your days making rounds, working in the field, or administering to a patient during an office visit. Little time is actually spent in front of a computer, which is one of the big reasons handheld solutions are becoming so popular in the healthcare field. They provide point-of-care access to information tools, allowing you to better care for your patients.
ePocrates qRx is an excellent example of a clinical Palm application, and right now its getting a lot of attention. It’s already been adopted by nearly 100,000 physicians and an additional 100,000 healthcare professionals including nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and pharmacists. That’s why we’re spotlighting ePocrates in this special healthcare issue of PalmPower’s Enterprise Edition. It’s found at http://www.epocrates.com, and the software can be downloaded for free. It appears that, even if you’re not a health professional, you can download and use this application for free.
.H1 Access important drug information
ePocrates qRx is a database that provides up-to-date and accurate drug information in an easy-to-use format for Palm devices. It’s updated regularly via a program called AutoUpdate, which allows new drug releases, indication changes, or recalls to be immediately sent via the Internet to a user’s handheld device. The software provides useful drug information such as indication-specific dosing, drug interactions, and packaging and pricing information.
The qRx database was initially developed by a team of clinicians from academic institutions across the U.S. Drug updates are peer reviewed twice prior to being entered into the database. The first review is conducted by ePocrates’ internal clinical team, and the second review is conducted by an external clinical board comprised of 43 physicians from all major specialties.
You can look up the information you need in two ways. First, you can use an alphabetical list of drugs, as shown in Figure A.
.FIG A Search through an alphabetical list of drugs.
Second, you can search by the class of drug, as shown in Figure B.
.FIG B Search by class of drug.
Once you select a drug, you’re immediately given the adult prescription information for it, as pictured in Figure C.
.FIG C You’ll instantly get the adult prescription information for any drug.
Other pieces of information such as child doses, drug interactions, adverse reactions, etc. are available as well, as seen in Figure D.
.FIG D Other information is available as well.
.H1 Reduce medical errors
Investigators at Brigham and Women’s Hospital conducted a seven-day, online survey of physicians who used ePocrates qRx during March 2000, and they presented the study at the American Medical Informatics Association’s annual meeting in November 2000. The survey found that 50% of physicians indicated that using ePocrates qRx helped them avoid one or more adverse drug events per week, 80% said that ePocrates qRx improved their drug knowledge, and 83% said that their patients were better informed as a result. Meanwhile, 54% of patients reported higher levels of satisfaction with their medical care.
"The other day I advised a surgeon on Levaquin dosing," wrote one ePocrates user identifying himself as Dr. DeLeeuw. "Something was nagging me so I looked up the dosing on ePocrates qRx and found my error. I called the floor and corrected the potential overdose before it happened."
I spoke with Michelle Snyder, VP of Marketing and Strategic Planning at ePocrates, and she informed me that about 30% of ePocrates users have said that they bought Palm devices just so they could use ePocrates’ software. As an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) partner with Palm, ePocrates makes this easy to do, as they sell their very own ePocrates branded Palm Vx at http://www.epocrates.com/webstore2/.
.H1 Treat infectious diseases
ePocrates has recently released a new application called qID. This infectious disease application for Palm OS handhelds helps you find antimicrobial treatment recommendations quickly by accessing information on over 400 pathogens and 400 drugs.
The qID application was developed by ten infectious disease specialists from prestigious institutions across the U.S. The program is free to download at http://www.epocrates.com/products/qID/.
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.H1 Solutions that work where you work
Applications like ePocrates qRx and ePocrates qID are becoming essential tools for doctors because, as Snyder said, "They work the way physicians work." It’s now possible to access vital, life-saving information at the point-of-care. The volume of ever-changing information healthcare professionals need to keep at their fingertips is staggering. Thanks to handy applications for Palm OS devices, that burden is easing, which is good for everyone, no matter which side of the stethoscope you’re on.
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
For more information on ePocrates, visit http://www.epocrates.com.
For more information on ePocrates qRx, visit http://www.epocrates.com/products/qRx4/.
For more information on ePocrates qID, visit http://www.epocrates.com/products/qID/.
For more information on the ePocrates branded Palm Vx, visit http://www.epocrates.com/webstore2/.
For more information about Palm computers, visit http://www.palm.com.
.H1 Bulk reprints
Bulk reprints of this article (in quantities of 100 or more) are available for a fee from Reprint Services, a ZATZ business partner. Contact them at reprints@zatz.com or by calling 1-800-217-7874.
.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO
.DISCUSS http://powerboards.zatz.com/cgi-bin/webx?50@@.ee6f11e
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