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Technology Epocrates Essentials for iPhone
- Thread starter anxiousnadd
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I guess I'd better chime in on this one because I developed many of the free Epocrates MedTools for the Palm OS platform including (STAT Cholesterol, Bipolar MDQ, etc.).
The issue is one of having to decide which PDA platform to target. 13 years ago there was really only Palm OS PDAs (no smartphones) in the hands of physicians so it was a no-brainer. Now Epocrates has users on Palm OS, Windows Mobile, Blackberry, and iPhone. On a PC you could write the code in Java and have it run on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux, however, this isn't an option for PDAs because not only can you not afford the inefficient overhead of a runtime engine like that, each user interface needs to be optimized for the tool. Epocrates Rx for the iPhone doesn't look anything like Rx for Palm OS. It would really suck if it did.
Essentially, a new program has to be written and tested for each platform. Not only that, it also has to be maintained/updated on a regular basis like any clinical tool.
Right now only a relatively small minority of physicians (myself included) use iPhones. Nobody knows, for sure, whether or not this will grow to supercede the other platforms in terms of popularity with clinicians.
Some people consider the iPhone to be more of a music, video, and games platform. I disagree, though. I see Palm OS and Windows Mobile screens getting smaller and smaller, making them less useful for images and larger amounts of data. The iPhone has a good sized screen and a great user interface. I'm betting that more and more clinicians will gravitate towards it.
The iTunes App Store also makes the download-and-install experience seamless, too, which is great for users who don't want to take on yet another technical challenge.
Nobody really knows what will happen, though. I wish we could dig up 10-year-old forum posts from Handheldmed.com where Blue Dog and I would debate about whether medical PDAs really NEED to have color screens or not.
Andre Chen, MD, MBA
The issue is one of having to decide which PDA platform to target. 13 years ago there was really only Palm OS PDAs (no smartphones) in the hands of physicians so it was a no-brainer. Now Epocrates has users on Palm OS, Windows Mobile, Blackberry, and iPhone. On a PC you could write the code in Java and have it run on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux, however, this isn't an option for PDAs because not only can you not afford the inefficient overhead of a runtime engine like that, each user interface needs to be optimized for the tool. Epocrates Rx for the iPhone doesn't look anything like Rx for Palm OS. It would really suck if it did.
Essentially, a new program has to be written and tested for each platform. Not only that, it also has to be maintained/updated on a regular basis like any clinical tool.
Right now only a relatively small minority of physicians (myself included) use iPhones. Nobody knows, for sure, whether or not this will grow to supercede the other platforms in terms of popularity with clinicians.
Some people consider the iPhone to be more of a music, video, and games platform. I disagree, though. I see Palm OS and Windows Mobile screens getting smaller and smaller, making them less useful for images and larger amounts of data. The iPhone has a good sized screen and a great user interface. I'm betting that more and more clinicians will gravitate towards it.
The iTunes App Store also makes the download-and-install experience seamless, too, which is great for users who don't want to take on yet another technical challenge.
Nobody really knows what will happen, though. I wish we could dig up 10-year-old forum posts from Handheldmed.com where Blue Dog and I would debate about whether medical PDAs really NEED to have color screens or not.
Andre Chen, MD, MBA
D
deleted87716
I wish we could dig up 10-year-old forum posts from Handheldmed.com where Blue Dog and I would debate about whether medical PDAs really NEED to have color screens or not.
Ah, those were the days! 😉
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Basic Epocrates is available for both iPod Touch and also iPhone. When calculating potential users of Epocrates Essentials, consider iPod Touch users.
Thank you, Dr Andre Chen. I have used your STAT Cardiac Risk 1.3 on Palm OS since about 2000. Altho v1.3 is outdated, it is much better for patient education than newer, more complex, versions. With v1.3, patients seem to more easily appreciate the effect of risk modification on their 10 year CHD risk.
Thank you, Dr Andre Chen. I have used your STAT Cardiac Risk 1.3 on Palm OS since about 2000. Altho v1.3 is outdated, it is much better for patient education than newer, more complex, versions. With v1.3, patients seem to more easily appreciate the effect of risk modification on their 10 year CHD risk.
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I got an email today stating that Epocrates Essentials for the iPhone will be available in early 2009. $149
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deleted59964
i've never used essentials - just the free version - does it have a DDx tool?
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