UpToDate vs Epocrates vs Medscape

Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine
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Which smartphone resource do you use?

  • Medscape

    Votes: 31 29.2%

  • Epocrates

    Votes: 19 17.9%

  • UpToDate

    Votes: 44 41.5%

  • Other (specify below)

    Votes: 6 5.7%

  • I don't need one!

    Votes: 6 5.7%
  • Total voters
    106
thedoctor8706

thedoctor8706

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I can't seem to find a straight answer out there... I'm starting my first MS3 rotation on Monday (medicine), and have been looking at these apps for obvious reason. Which do you use and what are the advantages of each? I know I can get Epocrates and/or Medscape for free, but is UpToDate worth paying the ~$150 offer I got in the mail?

Thanks!!
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thedoctor8706 said:
I can't seem to find a straight answer out there... I'm starting my first MS3 rotation on Monday (medicine), and have been looking at these apps for obvious reason. Which do you use and what are the advantages of each? I know I can get Epocrates and/or Medscape for free, but is UpToDate worth paying the ~$150 offer I got in the mail?

Thanks!!
Click to expand...

My institution had uptodate on the computers, so paying for the phone app would have been a waste of money. Also, asking whether to get epocrates or uptodate is like asking should I get a refrigerator or an oven? They serve different purposes and you will probably need something to fill both roles.

I have never tried the pay features of epocrates, but the free features have pretty much all the drug info you need, including pill lookup which is great for patients who bring in pills wrapped in a napkin. I remember an instance where a guy in clinic was incidentally discovered to have a 200 systolic BP. While waiting for transport to the ED, I asked him if he took any BP meds, he was like yeah, got 'em right here. Hands me a couple loose pills. I looked them up in epocrates and they were Valtrex.
 
DrSnips said:
I remember an instance where a guy in clinic was incidentally discovered to have a 200 systolic BP. While waiting for transport to the ED, I asked him if he took any BP meds, he was like yeah, got 'em right here. Hands me a couple loose pills. I looked them up in epocrates and they were Valtrex.
Click to expand...

Did you say, "Oh no sir, those are for the herp!"
 
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DrSnips said:
My institution had uptodate on the computers, so paying for the phone app would have been a waste of money. Also, asking whether to get epocrates or uptodate is like asking should I get a refrigerator or an oven? They serve different purposes and you will probably need something to fill both roles.

I have never tried the pay features of epocrates, but the free features have pretty much all the drug info you need, including pill lookup which is great for patients who bring in pills wrapped in a napkin. I remember an instance where a guy in clinic was incidentally discovered to have a 200 systolic BP. While waiting for transport to the ED, I asked him if he took any BP meds, he was like yeah, got 'em right here. Hands me a couple loose pills. I looked them up in epocrates and they were Valtrex.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the response. I thought the function of these apps was relatively the same? For example, I want to look up Alzheimer dementia or something. These apps will tell me a ddx, tests, treatment options, complications, etc. Now I'm wondering the major differences too! Haha, thanks for the input!
 
thedoctor8706 said:
Thanks for the response. I thought the function of these apps was relatively the same? For example, I want to look up Alzheimer dementia or something. These apps will tell me a ddx, tests, treatment options, complications, etc. Now I'm wondering the major differences too! Haha, thanks for the input!
Click to expand...

For the sort of comprehensive disease overview you are talking about, uptodate will serve that purpose 99% of the time. The summary at the bottom of each uptodate article can also be a good time saver. The cited sources are helpful in preparing presentations, though I'm sure many people looking to cite studies would just as soon go straight to pubmed.

Another option for quick reference like that is the MGH green book (formerly of red and blue varieties that older residents may carry), which fits into a coat pocket. It is chock full of only salient points and does not require phone service through thick hospital walls. It is only a refresher though, not a good place to look up new topics. Additionally, being a physical book, the information may not be up to date and may not be on uptodate either.
 
DrSnips said:
For the sort of comprehensive disease overview you are talking about, uptodate will serve that purpose 99% of the time. The summary at the bottom of each uptodate article can also be a good time saver. The cited sources are helpful in preparing presentations, though I'm sure many people looking to cite studies would just as soon go straight to pubmed.

Another option for quick reference like that is the MGH green book (formerly of red and blue varieties that older residents may carry), which fits into a coat pocket. It is chock full of only salient points and does not require phone service through thick hospital walls. It is only a refresher though, not a good place to look up new topics. Additionally, being a physical book, the information may not be up to date and may not be on uptodate either.
Click to expand...

I saw on the mailer I just got from uptodate that you can pay more (!) for the privilege of downloading all of the content onto your device via their app - which presumably self-destructs when the subscription runs out. But I think if one decided uptodate was the far superior resource, it'd solve the problem of spotty internet access.
 
Uptodate was free on hospital computers, so I used that. Epocrates for quick drug dosing/interactions. Guess I don't really use medscape much as I dislike reading long things on my phone.
 
I use them all, but fpnotebook is probably my fave
 
At our University Hospital, we can create Uptodate accounts for no charge that give us full access to the app. You may want to check out if there is a register option on your hospital computers.
 
most places give you UTD for free if you are on a system computer... so no need to pay money. Download epocrates for free as well... it's good
 
Hey all,

I see it's been awhile since this thread was commented on. I'm an MS2 and doing some clinical experiences with local docs and I'd like to know if anything has changed concerning these apps. I've used UTD for info to make presentations; I've noticed it's a little more in depth. I haven't messed with Epocrates much and I just played around with medscape which seemed pretty good (plus being free).

What are your thoughts on these apps as they stand today? Has medscape taken the #1 spot?
Thanks!
 
UTD for exhaustive material relevant to a condition.
Epocrates for pharm and formularies.
Diagnosaurus for DDxes.
KMLE.com for chart acronyms and terminology, especially archaic terms/syndrome names used by old school attendings.
 
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