.KEYWORD medical
.FLYINGHEAD MEDICAL APPLICATIONS
.TITLE Handheld applications: the right prescription for busy doctors
.OTHER
.SUMMARY Healthcare is a good example of an occupational field that has spawned an entire category of industry-specific applications for the Palm device. If you’re a medical professional, you’ll love Mike Collins’ sampling of the great resources available for your handheld.
.AUTHOR Michael Collins
As a director of enterprise sales for an international handheld e-commerce site, I answer calls all day, everyday, coming from a range of professionals. I talk to doctors, lawyers, engineers, consultants, and so on. They’re all looking to outfit themselves and their professional teams with the latest in handheld devices and applications to enhance their businesses. Many of these callers are surprised to learn how many handheld software applications, which are designed specifically to enhance their professions, exist.
Healthcare is a good example of an occupational field that has spawned an entire category of industry-specific applications. There are applications out there to aid everyone in the medical field, from students and residents to doctors and nurses, and the popularity of these applications is exploding. In fact, the number-one term entered into our site’s search engine is "medical."
For example, just yesterday I was talking with a resident doctor at a hospital in Dallas, TX. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for; all he knew was that he needed a device to help him keep appointments and contacts. Of course, that’s a great, albeit basic, use of a handheld device,. Of course, we’re able to recommend a slew of applications to enhance those native device applications. After discussing the best device for his needs (we chose a Palm organizer, since it has the most applications available for download), we started to talk about the issues he encounters on the job. He noted the common problems of time management and file organization. Those are the general issues everyone has that we can solve pretty quickly with a grand selection of productivity tool applications.
From there I opened his eyes to all the software categories specifically geared toward his needs as a medical professional, including reference books, patient tracking, calculators, and exciting new wireless prescription tools. He was impressed. We were able to solve efficiency and accuracy issues he didn’t know he had.
.H1 Reference books
I know if I was a doctor, I would fall in love with all the reference book applications out there. These applications are a great asset, especially for students and residents still learning the ins and outs of medicine. For example, the PDR (Physician’s Desk Reference) is absolutely huge. Instead of carrying around seven pounds worth of pages, a doctor can download the PDR on his eight-ounce Palm device and carry it with ease in a coat pocket. Plus, the doctor can go online to download new versions as they come along. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, though. There are many more reference applications, including drug lists, peer directories, and medical quiz applications that keep doctors fresh and on their toes.
Now, to be able to support most of those reference book applications, Palm devices require some basic system support tools to be in place first. Usually, a good document reader and database reader application will do the trick. There are a lot of them on the market. I find the right tools for customers based on file size and their interface preferences.
I’ll share some of the reference applications I normally suggest.
.H2 Orthopedic Surgery Notes
Orthopedic Surgery Notes is a complete guide for orthopedic surgery procedures, principles, and protocols. Notes are compiled from different sources and include graphics. It’s produced by PDA Ortho and is available through a number of application distribution sites, including Handango at http://www.handango.com/palm-software-product.shtml?sectionId=0&productId=9151&catalog=1&homePath=HANDANGO. Orthopedic Surgery Notes is priced at $10. It’s pictured in Figure A.
.FIG A Orthopedic Surgery Notes includes useful graphics like this.
.H2 5 Minute Clinical Consultant
5 Minute Clinical Consultant contains comprehensive information covering a thousand clinical topics from basics to follow-up. The content is indexed with more than 7,500 terms and medications to help you locate the desired information quickly. The application was developed by Skyscape at http://www.skyscape.com/products/fmcc.htm. It’s priced at $64.95
.H2 LexiDrugs 2000
LexiDrugs 2000 is a quick reference to the latest drug information covering more than 5,200 drugs. You can find the information on virtually any drug in the US, Canada, or Mexico using generic name, brand name, or therapeutic class. It’s also developed by Skyscape and can be found at http://www.skyscape.com/products/lexi.htm. LexiDrugs 2000 is priced at $64.95.
.H2 2000 Physician’s Desk Reference
Franklin’s 2000 Physician’s Desk Reference allows the medical professional to search for medications by brand or generic name, or to compare drugs within classes. It’s available at http://www.franklin.com/estore/details.asp?ID=PDR-5001. Franklin’s 2000 Physician’s Desk Reference is priced at $129.95.
.H1 Billing
Another category of applications to help doctors is billing. Patients don’t realize this, but a lot of doctors end up providing products and services for free because they forget to document what they did and used during a procedure or patient visit. To help doctors regain control of their billing, there are a number of applications that not only help doctors calculate fees, but help them document their products and services via checklists and reminders. If a doctor has her handheld with her after a visit or procedure, she can quickly document what she did while it’s still fresh in her mind.
Here are a couple examples.
.H2 PocketBilling v.1.01
PocketBilling allows coding of E&M charges, procedures, and patient tracking, and is fully customizable. It’s developed by PocketMed at http://www.pocketmed.org. PocketBilling v.1.01 is priced at $29.99.
.H2 ZapBill
ZapBill creates a billing record consisting of procedure and diagnosis codes suitable for creating an HCFA-1500 billing form. It’s available from ZapMed at http://www.zapmed.com/zapbill.html. ZapBill is priced at $49. Its Patient Information screen is pictured in Figure B.
.FIG B ZapBill also lets you store patient information.
.H1 Calculators
Beyond billing needs and calculations, doctors also have to calculate medicinal dosages and body composition percentages. Traditionally, doctors have depended on charts, calculators, and their own memories while putting pen to paper to arrive at answers. However, a new group of calculator applications has emerged to help doctors save their precious time and increase accuracy. Doctors are always excited to hear about these applications. Increasing accuracy in medical calculations is a great asset and saving time is a great bonus.
Here are two I’ve come across.
.H2 MedMath
MedMath is a free medical calculator for the Palm device for rapid calculation of common formulas in adult internal medicine. It was developed by a physician, Phillip Cheng, and can be found at http://mail.med.upenn.edu/~pcheng/medmath/index.html. It’s pictured in Figure C.
.FIG C MedMath performs useful calculations.
.H2 DoseCalc
DoseCalc can be used to help calculate doses by weight (kg, lb., or oz), dose (mg/kg/day), or doses per day solution concentration (mg/ml). It was developed by Jeremy Adler and is available at http://users.erols.com/joadler/software.htm. DoseCalc is priced at $10. It’s pictured in Figure D.
.FIG D Here, DoseCalc is running on a Palm IIIc.
.H1 Patient trackers
One of the most innovative and seemingly obvious benefits of a handheld device is the ability to track patient care and progress. Several good patient trackers are out on the market now. We get positive feedback from doctors and nurses who have used these applications. The applications allow medical personnel to organize patient lists, lab tests, notes, medicine dosages, and more. Plus, the information can be beamed between doctors, nurses, and administrators for a paperless organization. In the near future, we expect this area of software to grow and include even more tools and flexibility.
.H2 PatientKeeper
PatientKeeper is one such application. The patient management application is priced at $35 and can be used to organize your patient list, labs, tests, or notes. It can also beam records between users, print directly to printers, or export records to your PC. It’s available from VIRTMED at http://www.patientkeeper.com.
.H1 Wireless prescriptions
I think the most valuable pieces of software available are the recently introduced wireless prescription applications. These applications allow doctors to write out prescriptions on their handheld devices and then send them via a HotSync, or wirelessly from their Palm VII or RIM Blackberry, directly to a pharmacy.
Obviously, it’s a time saver, but it also has the potential to cut down on the miscommunications between doctor’s offices and pharmacies. There are always instances of pharmacy technicians misreading prescription notes and dispensing the wrong medications to patients. The wireless prescription, sent directly to the pharmacy computer, eliminates potentially deadly mistakes by providing pharmacies with clearly typed and private prescription notes. This is clearly a win/win situation for everyone involved, but patients also get the added bonus of having their prescriptions prepared and ready for them as soon as they arrive at their pharmacist’s window.
.H2 OfficeNotes v.1.0
An example of this type of application is OfficeNotes, priced at $75. The program is good for both note taking and prescription generation. It’s available from Just Information Service Corporation at http://www.crosswinds.net/~officenotes/.
.H1 Finding the applications you need
Obviously, handheld solutions (devices and applications) are powerful tools, but shopping for the right tool isn’t always easy. Device and application selection can be confusing and cumbersome. Therefore, I recommend you first figure out what part of your daily duties you would like to automate and then educate yourself on the available solutions. Right now, the Palm platform has the greatest number of applications available for business use. As the technology evolves, so will these application categories, benefiting all of us–doctors and patients alike.
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
For more information on Orthopedic Surgery Notes, visit Handango at http://www.handango.com/palm-software-product.shtml?sectionId=0&productId=9151&catalog=1&homePath=HANDANGO.
For more information on 5 Minute Clinical Consultant, visit http://www.skyscape.com/products/fmcc.htm.
For more information on LexiDrugs 2000, visit http://www.skyscape.com/products/lexi.htm.
For more information on 2000 Physician’s Desk Reference, visit http://www.franklin.com/estore/details.asp?ID=PDR-5001.
For more information on PocketBilling v.1.01, visit http://www.pocketmed.org.
For more information on ZapBill, visit http://www.zapmed.com/zapbill.html.
For more information on MedMath, visit http://mail.med.upenn.edu/~pcheng/medmath/index.html.
For more information on Dose Calculator, visit http://users.erols.com/joadler/software.htm.
For more information on PatientKeeper, visit http://www.patientkeeper.com.
For more information on OfficeNotes, visit http://www.crosswinds.net/~officenotes/.
For more information on how many of these applications can be purchased from Handango on handheld devices preloaded with industry specific software, visit http://www.handango.com/bsc_adayinthelife-meddoctor.shtml?industryId=5.
.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 Michael Collins is the enterprise sales director for Handango.com, Inc. in Hurst, TX. A four-year Palm device owner, Mike just can’t help applying his marketing knowledge to the handheld space whenever he gets the chance. Mike has a bachelor’s degree from Bethel College in North Newton, KS. He can be reached at Michael@Handango.com.
.DISCUSS http://powerboards.zatz.com/cgi-bin/webx?50@@.ee6ea7d
