From the January/February 2014 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
The VisualDx app enables users to quickly look up a diagnosis and get a visual confirmation or to enter a patient’s symptoms for a list of possible diagnoses. The app is used in a number of departments including emergency medicine, pediatrics, dermatology, and dentistry.
However, VisualDx is not free — there is just a brief free trial period. Once the trial expires, users will need a subscription to the VisualDx web tool to continue using the app.
AHRQ ePSS
The Electronic Preventive Services Selector (ePSS) designed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) may not be the prettiest app out there but what it lacks in aesthetics it makes up for in utility.
The ePSS app was developed to help primary care physicians identify screening, counseling, and preventive medication services for patients. The app is based on the most current recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). Physicians can enter specific patient characteristics, such as age, sex, and selected behavioral factors to review the latest recommendations at the point-of-care using a single source.
Patient communication
MediBabble
MediBabble is a free, professional-grade translation app that enables physicians to communicate with non-English speaking patients. The app includes an extensive database of clinical questions and patient instructions, all of which were written and vetted by a panel of physicians.
All of the responses sought by the app from the patient are either yes/no questions, require gestural responses (such as pointing), or rely on the device for input (such as typing in the date of birth). MediBabble is currently available in five languages – Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Russian, and Haitian Creole.
According to the team at iMedicalApps, MediBabble is “the best medical translation app available in the App Store, paid or free.”
HeartDecide
Having trouble explaining an aortic regurgitation to a patient? Many doctors are using HeartDecide as a visual learning tool to aid in patient education. The app offers a 3-D model of a beating heart that can be rotated in all directions and divided into sections to help guide conversations with patients.
HeartDecide allows users to input patient- specific information to demonstrate how the heart responds to basic health decisions, which can be helpful in motivating patients to make better lifestyle choices. The app also displays what different heart procedures look like, such as a percutaneous valve replacement or an annuloplasty.
Back to HCB News
