PDA Recommendations for Rotations

[dolce183]

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Anyone have any recommendations for picking a PDA?

I'm thinking of something Windows based, but am still open to a Palm or Apple. Aside from making sure the device is compatible with pharmacy apps, and has an expandable memory card, integrated wireless and bluetooth capability, I'm not really sure what else I should be looking for. I'd ideally like not to spend more than $300 (the cheaper the better), but again I want whatever I buy to be able to last me at least 2 years. Looking to purchase by March 2009 before I go on rotations. Any thoughts?

 

[OHPharmd08]

Anyone have any recommendations for picking a PDA?

I'm thinking of something Windows based, but am still open to a Palm or Apple. Aside from making sure the device is compatible with pharmacy apps, and has an expandable memory card, integrated wireless and bluetooth capability, I'm not really sure what else I should be looking for. I'd ideally like not to spend more than $300 (the cheaper the better), but again I want whatever I buy to be able to last me at least 2 years. Looking to purchase by March 2009 before I go on rotations. Any thoughts?

I have a Treo 750 w/ Palm and I bought a new computer with Vista...palm is not compatible yet with Vista. So, I cannot download any of my clinical pharmacology stuff onto my PDA. Next time, I am going to get a Windows based OS.

 

[Chiyo]

I got a 8gb iPod touch for $229.. I put on epocrates Rx (free), medical calculator (free), and a 3rd party application (Files) to carry around all my class notes on the rotation. It has wireless, and the 8gb worth of storage puts away any need for memory expansion. Lexi-comp will be available for iPhone/touch in a few weeks... plus I can carry around some mp3 to listen to during my long walk from parking lot.. and it should last >2 years. There's no reason to use palm.

 

[Praziquantel86]

Some sort of smartphone wouldn't be a bad idea. You eliminate the need to carry two things and keep all the functionality. I use the Samsung smartphone with Lexi, and I couldn't be happier.

 

[psurocks]

in my 3 rotations in a hospital....never needed one...on the floors there is always computers u can look things up, and if the preceptor ask something u dont know, just say 'i dont know but i will get back to u' and then get back to them later after u look it up...IMO a pda is not really needed

 

[Megas]

Pick one you can get an indestructible case for (like a metal one for about $25). I dropped my PDA in my sweaty nervous hands on rounds many times trying to get onto ABX fast and the worst that happened was the memory card popped out.

 

[tmbbmt]

i wanted something for rotations too, so i nixed my old phone and got a treo with the windows OS instead of palm. i love it. it's great on rotations because it's everything i need - phone, email, drug info, games when i'm booored

 

[dolce183]

Thanks for the replies! I've heard from some that smart phones can run a little slower than stand alone PDAs though. Did any of you experience that problem?

Also, if anyone has any specific recommendations for brands, please feel free to throw them my way as well. Much appreciated!

 

[Praziquantel86]

There is a slight delay in getting the phone to come out of sleep mode, but nothing more than a few seconds. Once the thing's on, there should be no difference in speed.

 

[Phantom590]

I have a Palm Centro smartphone and have been very happy with it so far on all my rotations. I've downloaded a couple of free apps (Epocrates and Micromedex) so I have pharmacology info as well as calculators, etc and then can go look up more detailed info online later if I need to. As for speed -I haven't had any trouble with mine (other than my own lack of dexterity when being grilled by preceptors, which really has nothing to do with the phone 🙂

 

[whitney2011]

I would recommend getting an iPhone. I did and love it. I installed epocrates for free and plan on purchasing epocrates essentials as soon as it becomes available for the iPhone in 2009.
You can have everything you need in this phone---

 

[dgroulx]

I've used Lexi Clinical suite all through rotations and during my first year as a pharmacist. It runs on PDAs (Windows and Palm) and will be available for the iPhone and the iPod touch in a few weeks. They are completing their beta testing right now.

My PDA died two months ago, but it served me well. My husband is in love with his iPhone, so I will probably go that route.

 

[KUMoose]

Head down to the technical forum and read there, this has been brought up many times before.

 

[beaglerph]

look into battery life of the palms too (per charge and lifetime of the battery)
and charge times. If you plan on using wireless and bluetooth alot while using it frequently throughout the day, a live time of 8-13 hours might not be enough. If you're draining/charging the device frequent, the lifetime of the battery will slowly diminish.

what drug info program/ package do you plan on loading on? Does your school's library have a few of the pocket pc/ palm version available for you to use already? many of them have nifty calculators that come in handy.

if possible have pdfs of guidelines copied on it and primary articles you collect through the year in there too. Big guidelines to have on hand and to start to know and memorize if not already- jnc 7 (soon to be 8), chest 8 that just came out, HAP CAP guidelines, Asthma/COPD, ACS STEMI and N-STEMI. Not just the end bold recommendations but detailed where its is recommended because of X.

 

[Corradoracer]

centro works well for my needs. In my opinion, Palm is superior for medical apps for pdas. Windows mobile is way too slow for quick access and drains too much battery. iphone does not have compatibility with micromedex.

 

[twester]

I just ordered a Blackberry. It's the new touch screen one and I was disappointed to find out that nothing is ported to it yet. Hopefully by the first of the year Epocrates will be ready and maybe Lexi soon after that. Clinical Pharmacology is very slow about development, so I doubt I'll see that port anytime soon.

I'm excited for my new phone to arrive, anyway. I'll be able to store all my guidelines and class notes on it, too.

So, yeah, I think a smartphone is the best way to go - fewer gadgets to keep track of.

 

[aboveliquidice]

iPhone + Lexi-Complete = I've seen it - and its awesome.

~above~

 

[YiYaoYue]

iPhone (at&t), blackberry storm (verizon), or treo (sprint) are the main three I've seen pharmacists use. Then just choose one based on which provides the best service in your area or the one you like most if more than one provide good service. I wouldn't want to carry a phone and PDA seperately, so I would just get one of those three hybrids.

 

[FruitFly]

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