Best PDA for medical students?

May 15, 2008 6:54 PM

The g/f is starting her hospital rotations in 2 months, and apparently they must have a PDA. Any med students/doctors care to recommend a make/model, or software for it once we pick one out? Thanks.
posted by R_Nebblesworth to technology (9 comments total)

I presume she'll want it to run UpToDate. Here are their requirements. My wife and most of her colleagues prefer Windows PDAs.

I think you might need 2G of storage for the most recent UpToDate, so be sure to get one that can handle large CF or SD cards. My wife's also has wifi, but she never uses it while at the hospital. If you want a smartphone, I think most docs go for the Treo 700/750; most just get a PDA since they often can't have a cell phone on in the hospital anyway.

I bought whatever HP handheld Costco had for sale a year ago, and it has worked out OK.

Not a physician but I make technology decisions for one.
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 7:12 PM on May 15

I'm not a med student or a doctor, but my dad is an ER doctor who has made regular use of a PDA for several years.

Epocrates is probably the most widely-used PDA application for doctors. Versions are available for both Palm and Windows Mobile PDAs. It will soon be available as a native application for the iPhone, and it's currently available online via the web browser on the iPhone.

The iPhone version will have a few features that the Palm and Windows Mobile versions do not have. Most importantly, it will have pictures of many of the 3000+ drugs in its database. This is often important when trying to figure out what drug a patient might use or accidentally have taken. You can easily show them a picture and say "is this it?"

Used to be a separate pediatric dosage calculator was handy, but Epocrates has one now.

Your girlfriend's hospital may use some kind of electronic charting software, which may or may not have a PDA version. If so, you might consider using a compatible platform.
posted by jedicus at 7:17 PM on May 15

I use a Treo 680 which admittedly is not the latest model, but runs PalmOS 5 and can take large SD cards, so it runs just about anything out there.

There's a whole lot more Palm software available, free and otherwise, than PocketPC. I am biased, however.

The skinny on ePocrates and UpToDate are correct. They cost an arm and a leg, though, unless you whore yourself to a pharm rep like I did.
posted by adoarns at 7:22 PM on May 15

In any case, I'm surprised they have to have PDAs. When I was in medical school (not too long ago), it in fact was de rigeur although I shirked carrying one until residency. Now it seems less fashionable.

In any case, the most important information can usually be carried around in a few pocket-sized books like Tarascon's Pharmacopeia and Sanford's pamphlet on antibiotics, as well as the Washington Manual. All these don't add up to a whole lot more in space or weight than a PDA, and what they lack in the comprehensiveness department of, say, a full epocrates subscription, they make up for in cost, which any debt-conscious medical student ought to intuit.

So make sure she actually needs the damn thing.
posted by adoarns at 7:25 PM on May 15

UpToDate and Epocrates are pretty popular in terms of software, and work for both Palm and PocketPCs. I'm sure this page will be chock full of good advice and recommendations in terms of specifics, but I just wanted to chime in early and also suggest the following:
- the paper version of the Sanford Guide to Antimicrobial Therapy
- the paper version of the Phamacopoeia
- a small, hard cover Moleskine or similar pocket notebook.

Why? Because PDAs crash, and their batteries die, and sometimes it's easier to look information up on a full-fledged computer. Easily answered questions can be found quickly in either PDA or paper-based formats, and I would suggest that any question of complexity warrants a look-see through a textbook or good online source (see: UpToDate via internet. Most med school libraries can provide free access).

The notebook is for jotting down Significant Things You Should Know or Might Be Asked About, like Ranson's/Duke's/Whatever criteria, or things put in a more personalized and easy-to-read format. Also: fast food delivery numbers and the number for Gambler's Anonymous and MMORPG Addicts Hotline if she, like me, is giving up a life of procyberathleticism and its seedier side of match-fixing and cybersports betting.

It'll be nice to finish school and residency with a nice notebook chock full awesome things as a personal go-to guide.

On a personal level: I'm a tech-savvy guy, love gadgets, and have tried using PDAs for medicine. I've given up on all of them and stick to the pocket manuals as listed above. For questions whose answers can't be found in these books, I use textbooks or online resources. It's a helluva lot easier to read a printout or off a big screen than from a PDA. Her mileage may vary, of course, and I admit that some colleagues swear by their PDA.
posted by herrdoktor at 7:35 PM on May 15

Check with the IT department at the hospital; they may have hardware and software specifications to ensure compatibility. I would link to the relevant page for my hospital but it is on the intranet and not accessable from outside.
posted by TedW at 5:22 AM on May 16

Yale University Medical Library has a very helpful PDA/Mobile Device Resources & Information page -- see http://info.med.yale.edu/library/technology/PDA/
posted by davemack at 2:55 PM on May 16

Check and double and triple check that she does indeed need a PDA. We were told we needed PDAs and all went out and bought them and many of us never carry them with us. Most of us bought something that runs the Palm OS. My PDA sits lonely and forlorn in a desk drawer as I have preferred to use my Tarascon Pharmacopoeia and Pocket Medicine book (when on internal medicine).

Echoing herrdoktor: There are many computers around the hospital with internet access that any info I want is pretty much at my fingertips without a PDA. I did get an UpToDate subscription that I use frequently and I can log on from any computer with net access.
posted by madokachan at 2:57 PM on May 16

I would maybe try to see what the other students are using, that way if there are problems she might have some help trouble shooting.

Palm OS has been the standard in the medical world, at least in my experience, and I am on my 5th Palm device (a Treo 680). When I was in residency, they actually bought us Palm devices (III iirc). If your g/f doesn't have one already, I am guessing she is the kind of person who isn't drawn to these devices generally, so you should probably opt for something basic and inexpensive. My wife, also a doctor, *never* uses her PDA . It's true that there are computers with internet access everywhere she would need to get information so you don't really need one to get by. The problem of course, is that the Palm platform is undeniably dying out. Someone mentioned the iPhone above and as soon as epocrates comes out for it, I am getting one.


Here is what is currently on my PDA, not that this is what your g/f needs:
ePocrates (*everyone* uses this. I pay for the "essentials" upgrade which has a few bells and whistles, lab interpretation results, reference tables, some formulas that are commonly used. Actually, a student could get 98% of what they need from this one app.)

5 Minute Clinical Consult (available from many different vendors)

5 Minute Pediatric Consult (again, available from many different vendors)

From STAT coder (all free downloads):
Mood Disorder questionairre
LDL Cholesterol calculator
Pediatric BMI calculator
GRACE ACS Risk Model

Shots 2008

An English to metric measurement converter.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 9:16 AM on May 17