apps

“There just isn’t enough time in the day” is a refrain familiar to us all. And it often feels that way. The truth is, we have all the time there is. What we do with it is up to us. For doctors, as the popular saying goes, “the struggle is real.” Effective time management is essential to leading a professional life that is orderly and productive while leaving time for a high quality of life. Fortunately, there are apps for physicians that help you manage your daily life as efficiently as possible.

The following list is not exhaustive nor is it meant to reflect our rating of available apps. We are simply including some apps for physicians we think might be valuable additions to your time management toolbox. Some of these are free; we will identify those that are not.

Doximity: (iPhone/iPad and Android via Google Play Store)

This app provides access to HIPAA-secure communication, efax, custom-curated career management and medical news. All HIPAA communication is encryption secured. Communicate with colleagues, get the most current medical news and journal articles, search other career opportunities, and establish a secure fax-line.

Medscape by WebMD: (iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch and Android)

This app serves as a clearinghouse for all information related to prescriptions as well as drug safety. Procedure videos are available, as is a medical calculator and online access to materials for Continuing Medical Education (CME).

Epocrates: (Available on iTunes for Apple devices and Google Play for Android – There is an annual subscription fee for Epocrates Essentials of $159.99)

The company claims that 1 of every 2 physicians uses this app which might suggest you should do so if you’re not among that group already. The app itself possesses multiple features such as:

•     Drug prescription and safety info
•     Information regarding potential harmful interaction between/among meds
•     Up-to-date medical news/research
•     HIPAA-compliant text messaging

Family Practice Management: (Apple and Android devices – Basic app free, individual issue subscriptions available)

Published by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), this is one of the more popular practice apps for physicians. Designed for physicians, care administrators, office staff and other health care professionals, the journal provides assistance ranging from improving the quality of care and enhancing payment to managing technology and, perhaps most relevant to you personally, achieving better life balance.

As with some other
apps for physicians, the FPM provides news and content in real time. A complete subscription is available for $69.99 per year. The annual subscription for a single issue is $29.00.

PEPID: (Android and Apple devices)

This is how the company describes itself on its website:
“For more than 20 years, PEPID has provided exclusive web-based point-of-care solutions that enable healthcare professionals to efficiently pinpoint diagnoses, treat diseases and medical conditions, detect harmful drug interactions and allergy sensitivities, accurately dose patients, and provide quality patient education. PEPID’s products are integrated within the systems of clinics, hospitals, universities and schools around the world.”

One of the tools available from PEPID is what they call the ICD-10 Lookup Tool. Providing coding support that incorporates all information the World Health Organization publishes, this is one of the few apps for physicians that minimizes the time and effort necessary to find information when updating patient records or working with an insurance carrier to coordinate payment.

MedWeb LIVE:
(Android, iPad)

This is one of the apps that was designed to enable physicians to collaborate across multiple PC/mobile device platforms. Providing secure video communication, it permits:

•     Specialty consultation
•     Clinical collaboration
•     On-call telemedicine
•     Primary care telemedicine
•     Prehospital telemedicine
•     Educational presentations

Needless to say, the time-saving opportunities are extensive.

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Well, that didn’t take long. 

Five years ago there were about 600,000 apps available for download in the Apple App Store–and maybe a couple dozen for nurse practitioners. Today, Apple offers nearly 2 million apps, of which there are hundreds that you could use to be a better nurse practitioners. 

Too bad your smartphone doesn’t have more memory!

Yes, there are a lot of great apps out there that can make you more more effective and efficient. But, you won’t be able to use them all, so take a look at this list of the top healthcare apps for nurse practitioners:

The Sanford Guide to Antimicrobial Therapy

When you need clear, concise, current and reliable information about an infectious disease, you need the Sanford Guide to Antimicrobial Therapy. The long-trusted reference has commonly been used in its textbook form, but the app is every bit as reliable–and it’s updated monthly to make sure that the latest research findings are only a swipe away. 

Learn more about the Sanford Guide and why it is one of the top healthcare apps for nurse practitioners. 

The Electronic Preventive Services Selector

Leave it to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop one of the top healthcare apps for primary care providers who need to find the right screening, counseling and preventive medication services for patients. But, that’s exactly what the Electronic Preventive Services Selector does–and it does it well. After all, it does come from the government agencies responsible for protecting the health of all Americans. 

Learn more about the app and how it lets you search based on specific patient characteristics such as age, sex and risk factors. 

UpToDate

It’s a clinical practice guide, medical calculator, drug interaction checker and research resource all wrapped up into one easy-to-use app. It’s UpToDate, and it’s a must-have for any nurse practitioner working in a busy hospital or clinic. It also includes links to more than 1,500 printable patient-education handouts. 

Learn more about UpToDate and how it can help make you a better nurse practitioner. 

VisualDx

There was a time in the not-too-distant past when referring to your smartphone during an exam would have been frowned upon. Not anymore, thanks in large part to apps like VisualDx. It was created specifically to be used at the point of care. After you download it, you’ll be able to search by symptom, chief complaint or diagnosis. It’s incredibly useful when it comes to addressing dermatological conditions, reactions to medicine and other symptoms with visual manifestations. 

Learn more about VisualDx and check out the high-resolution images it delivers. 

CDC Influenza

Flu season typically runs from September through May, so an app that provides the most up-to-date information about flu activity up and down the East Coast and across the country is almost always practical. The CDC Influenza app from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will provide you with the latest government recommendations related to vaccinations and antiviral treatments. It also offers videos of national experts providing tips and official information, CDC-designed posters, and handouts to give to your patients. 

Learn more about the CDC Influenza app. 

Download the top healthcare apps today

The pace of innovation seems to increase every day–and that’s a good thing for nurse practitioners. Today, you have the opportunity to download hundreds of apps that can help you perform your job duties in a more efficient and effective manner.

Do it. 

Then keep watching for what might come along tomorrow. Apps may have been a novelty a few years ago, today they are an important part of the job. 

*Elliot Health System does not endorse specific technology highlighted in blogs – all references are for the purpose of awareness of new medical technology only.

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