Ten useful apps in pediatric primary care

Those who know me know that I'm very attached to my iPad an iPod touch. Both come to work with my every day and there are a multitude of apps I use in my everyday practice. Here are my most useful:

Epocrates is by far the most useful app on my iPad. I have been using epocrates since I first got a Palm m505 in 2001. I use the prescribing information all the time. There is a paid version with lots of extra features but I find the free one suits my needs. Their website is www.epocrates.com.

Child BMI and Teen BMI are useful apps that I use to calculate BMI on all well child visits I do. These apps in particular give the percentiles for each measurement which is something that schools require. Their developer website is http://www.tactiosoft.com/.

Antibiotic advisor is a very comprehensive guide to choosing appropriate antibiotics. This is useful for things like figuring out the third line treatment for strep throat for a patient allergic to penicillin. Their website is www.ccspublishing.com.

Visual Dx is another great resource for deciphering rashes. This is the mobile version of the program. It allows you to narrow down rashes based on certain characteristics and has lots of pictures. It is not free but if you have access to the main program (our local university give us access) then you can download the app for free. Website is www.visualdx.com.

Scoligauge is a handy tool that turns your iPod or iPhone into a scoliometer. I think it costs 99 cents in the iTunes store. The developer is http://www.ockendon.net/.

ARUP consult is useful for looking up the significance of abnormal lab results. The website is www.arupconsult.com.

OB wheel replaces the gestational age calculator I used to carry in my pocket. The one I have seems to no longer be listed in the iTunes store but there are many others to choose from.

Color test is the traditional color blindness test. The website is http://www.cassit.com/Cassiopeia_Information_Technologies/Home.html.

Organs is a very cool 3D model of many organs in the body. There are models, information about each one as well as disease information. It does have more of a cool factor than a useful factor but I have used it to explain things to patients. It is made by www.realbodywork.com.

Eye chart turns the iPad into an eye chart. This is especially useful for looking at near vision if you don't have a pocket chart. The website is http://www.iris-labs.com/.

All of these apps are available in the iTunes store. I also routinely use things like google maps to show patients how to get to the lab or the camera to email pictures of rashes to the doctor I work with. Feel free to share your favorite apps. I'm always looking for more!