The computer in your pocket

By: Terri Schmitt PhD, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP

Executive Director, NPACE

Smartphones and mobile apps provide excellent tools to daily clinical practice. Frequent updates, reputable sources, and convenience can improve evidence-based practice and patient outcomes. Below are some useful phone apps for advanced practice providers:

1. Epocrates: A medication reference app providing information on interactions, dosage, formulation, side effects, warnings and more. Included is a pill identifier feature and medical news updates.
2. Medscape: A medical news app with disease specific information, a drug reference feature, and continuing medical education. Establishing an account is needed with an email.
3. VisualDX: This app provides visual diagnostics and images to help healthcare providers diagnose and treat various medical conditions. The visual database is large, making it a great learning tool for new NPs and students as well.
4. MDCalc: A medical calculator app that provides a variety of medical screening tools and risk calculators like PHQ – 9, GAD-7, GFR, creatinine clearance, STOPBANG for OSA, and others.
5. CDC apps:
   1. CDC Vaccine Schedules: Vaccination schedules: This app provides updated schedules for vaccinating patients throughout the lifespan.
   2. CDC Milestone Tracker: Track pediatric milestones. Parents can use this per child. Used in conjunction with AAP standards and regular physical exams.
   3. CDC Opioid Guidelines: Current CDC guidelines as well as a morphine milligram equivalent calculator (MME). There is even an interactive guide to motivational interviewing.
   4. STI Treatment Guidelines: This app carries current CDC treatment and testing guidelines for STIs.
   5. US MEC US SPR Contraception App: This CDC app contains the U.S. medical eligibility criteria for contraceptive use and was developed in conjunction with CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report and the Division of Reproductive health. Clinicians can use this app to compare certain medications, medical congestions, and combined or complex issues in deciding what contraceptive method to use in a patient.
6. Figure 1: Figure 1 is a medical image sharing app that allows healthcare providers to share images and collaborate on patient care. The app also includes a database of medical images and videos for reference.
7. GoodRx: This app is great for patients and providers to find formulations and prices of medications in local pharmacies.
8. USPSTF Guidelines: The US Prevention Task Force is a phone-based app for primary care to identify appropriate screening of patients based on age, risk factors, gender, and more. Great tool for every primary care clinician.
9. ASCVD risk calculator: Created by the American College of Cardiology, this web-based app can also be found in Apple and Google app stores. A great resource to calculate cardiovascular disease risk in adult patients.
10. AHA guidelines on the go: The American Heart Association (AHA) provides an excellent app for your mobile device to keep access to all current AHA guidelines at your fingertips.
11. eMPR (https://www.empr.com/download-empr/): Access to medications, clinical cases, and guidelines this app is an excellent resource for clinicians in all areas.
12. ACP guidelines (https://www.acponline.org/clinical-information/clinical-guidelines-recommendations/mobile-clinical-guidelines): The American College of Physicians mobile guidelines app houses current recommendations and guidelines by the ACP for use in primary care.

These are just a few of the mobile applications that clinicians can use to improve care planning and patient outcomes. Application selection should include considerations of usability, relevancy of information, reliability of information, and reputation of the app information authority.