IPhone Apps for Physicians: Medical Apps I Want

Your humble Luddite Whistleblower has leapt across the sea to reach the Isle of Technology. I now own and operate an iPhone, which identifies me as groovy, hip and cool, three adjectives that none of our 5 kids ever use to describe their technophobic father. I’m told that my text messages are too long and too frequent. I am admonished that it is not necessary for me to photograph moments of high drama, such as a kid eating breakfast, and then to disseminate the image to my contact list. I am reminded often that I am slow to grasp the mechanical intricacies of the device, such as switching from ring to vibration mode.

You may wonder how it was possible that I, who consider using an ATM to be a high level computer operation, could make the iPhone, my phone. I knew I couldn’t fail, despite my trepidation of all things cyber. I had a secret weapon, a ‘Plan B’. Actually, I had Plan Z, the most powerful asset that anyone in my situation could hope for. Z stands for Zachy. One sentence will explain all and may provoke screams of envy from those who have no available similar resource.

Zachy is our 14-yr-old kid!

Zachy is our youngest son and lives and dreams in the cyberworld. Like his contemporaries, he relies on computers to communicate and interact with the world. He is excited to devise new mousetraps that seem unnecessarily complex. When he receives a phone call, he can reroute the call so that it the caller’s voice will emerge out of a speaker from another techno-contraption in his room. Is this cool? Yes. Is it easier than simply answering the phone? You decide.

Of course, the real appeal of the iPhone is the Apps. Since App to me means appendectomy, I assumed that the iPhone was a well-designed physician’s tool. Relax readers, I have since become educated and have increased my Apptitude. I can now spend time I don’t have searching for cool Apps that will solve problems I don’t have.

Some Apps I Have

Dragon – This is a must-have App and is well worth the price. It’s free. It permits you to dictate directly into the contraption and then transforms your voice into text with reasonable accuracy. This is great for TWD, or texting while driving, an act that no responsible physician has ever committed.

Epocrates – Another gratis App, although the company hopes you will upgrade to one of their premium products. I’ve used Epocrates for years, and consult it nearly every day. It’s a quick and easy resource for all medications, including dosage, adverse reactions, drug interactions, contraindications and cost. How many medications do we really need to take care of patients? Probably, 2 dozen or so.

Liver Calc – My partner is always showing off when he rounds on liver patients and calculates the MELD score in his progress notes. Who can remember this stuff? It reminds me of the Ranson criteria for pancreatitis that we medical students were forced to memorize. (I remember Dr. Ranson from my medical school days. He was warm & fuzzy – NOT). Do these liver scores help actual patients or merely provide grist for board examinations? With this App, I can now calculate on the spot a variety of scores for liver patients, most of which this board certified gastroenterologist has never heard of. Anyone out there heard of the RUCAM criteria?

Medscape – This is a very comprehensive site, but seems to cruise more horizontally across the medical landscape than vertically. Will I ever use it? Not sure. The goal, I am learning, is not to use Apps, but just to collect ‘em.

Epocrates Disease Game – This is a cool way to spend time in the airport when your flight is delayed and the smiling airline personnel will not divulge the updated departure time regardless of threat or bribery. Tap the App and a medical image appears in stages, until the entire screen shows the finding. Choose the correct diagnosis among the 3 given choices. For those who were born during the Eisenhower era, this game reminds me of solving the rebus in the classic TV game show Concentration.

Apps I Want

Colon Cleanse App – This is a double plug in App. You plug in the device into the headphone jack of the iPhone and plug the larger end into the rectum. Attach the accessory funneled cleansing tube to a standard faucet, and watch the toxins disappear.

Medical Coding App – This turns your iPhone into a high voltage device, similar to the Invisible Fences that are used to restrain pets to a given area. Tap the App and then place the iPhone in your front pocket. After seeing a patient, if you code higher than you should on your EMR, you will get a light shock. The intensity will increase until you have expressed remorse, atoned and coded properly. I expect that Medicare will provide incentives for using this technology in the coming years.

Formulary App – This will be fun for the entire office. When the physician guesses the drug that is on the patient’s formulary, carnival music starts blaring from the iPhone. Since this occurs rarely, do not worry that this App will be disruptive to your office routine.

Am I getting just a bit slAPP hAPPy? Probably, so. The APPendix may be a vestigial structure, but the iPhone Apps are like the oxygen drive. You can try holding your breath, but how long can you hold out?