Say Ah! to Windows Mobile

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Say Ah! to Windows Mobile
by Kevin Ebi
   
   
While they may not be as common as a stethoscope or a tongue depressor, Windows Mobile powered devices are becoming vital tools for doctors and nurses.

Many drug and disease databases are now available electronically, and Pocket PCs certainly are much easier to carry around than thick reference books.
   
   ER Suite for Pocket PC
"I have given myself more knowledge at hand, at my fingertips," says Carol Kinzner, an advanced registered nurse practitioner. "You can't know everything, but if you have the tools to figure it out, that's where it helps."

Kinzner is the first person in her practice to trade some of her books for a Pocket PC. She has used handheld computers while seeing patients for more than four years.

"What kind of got me started is the fact that I like gadgets," she said. "I like computers. I like what they can help you do."

In her case, her Pocket PC has given her the freedom to look up detailed drug information and determine the proper dosage without having to carry books or scientific calculators, or even leave the patient's room.

Kinzner uses a program called Epocrates, an all-inclusive electronic medical reference guide. The software includes detailed information on more than 3,000 brand and generic drugs. Since more patients are starting to take herbal medicines on their own, the software also includes information on 400 alternative medicines and can warn doctors if they conflict with any prescription medications.

Kinzner says that the time she saves fumbling through books allows her to spend more time with her patients, resulting in better care.

"A lot of what I do is look up something," she says. "You can get to the new drug without having to go to the index in the back and go to the page number."

   
      
   
Related Links
   
   

    * Epocrates
    * Davis's Drug Guide
    * Harrison's Manual of Medicine
    * Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary
    * CURRENT CONSULT Medicine 2005
    * ER Suite for Pocket PC
    * Pocket EKG 2004
    * Medical Chart Plus EX
    * Shop for Devices

   
   
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    * Choosing Your Next Windows Mobile Device
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Epocrates also provides information on more than 1,200 diseases and conditions, covering signs and symptoms, causes, diagnosis and treatment, including the most effective medications.

Perhaps the most useful tool on Kinzner's Pocket PC is one that she designed herself. She works at Evergreen Nephrology Associates, a specialty practice in Tacoma, Wash., devoted to patients with kidney disorders. Coming up with the proper dosage of certain medications can be a challenge. There are formulas, but there are many variables. There are even different formulas depending on how much kidney function a patient has.

"In one part I remember, you have to take a number to the minus 150th power," she says. "You don't just walk in with a calculator."

With the help of a bookkeeper, Kinzner designed a Pocket Excel spreadsheet that contains all of the formulas she needs. In a matter of seconds, she can calculate the proper dosage.

In spite of all the time she saves with her Pocket PC, she says one of her colleagues still relies on a desktop computer; another has "gone into the new century kicking and screaming."

Kinzner may be a pioneer in her office, but she's part of a rapidly growing group of medical professionals making use of mobile computers. A survey by the American Academy of Pediatrics found 38 percent of its physicians already use handheld computers.

Strong interest from the medical community has prompted HP to market a Medical Digital Assistant edition of its iPAQ Pocket PC. Among other things, its MDA makes use of wireless technology to ensure that patient records are always up-to-date. The patient's permanent file is updated as the doctor makes electronic notes in the examination room.

There are also plenty of medical software packages to choose from, regardless of your medical specialty.

In addition to Epocrates, many publishers now offer Pocket PC versions of their medical reference materials.
   
   

    *
      Davis's Drug Guide contains information on more than 4,600 trade and generic drugs, more than 700 combination drugs and 30 of the most common herbal and natural products. The electronic guide comes with free quarterly updates for one year.
    *
      Harrison's Manual of Medicine, a comprehensive internal medicine guide, contains hundreds of images and tables from the print publication, as well as hyperlinks that connect with other electronic medical guides from the publisher.
    *
      Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary contains all 56,000 definitions contained in the print version, as well as pronunciations for nearly 30,000 medical terms. The guide also contains extensive cross-linking between terms, making it much faster to use than the voluminous book.
    *
      CURRENT CONSULT Medicine 2005 is a quick-reference guide with information on more than 850 common disorders, including information on when to admit or refer as well as guidance for choosing laboratory tests and imaging studies.
    *
      ER Suite for Pocket PC is a quick-reference guide for emergency and critical care workers. The software includes advanced life support protocols and a miniature drug reference, but its real power comes in its calculators for determining the proper dosages of poison antidotes and other medications to determining how long the oxygen remaining in a tank will last.
    *
      Pocket EKG 2004 includes 20 different sample EKG strips in its database and an interpretation of each.

   
   

Medical Chart Plus EX is designed to solve another problem for doctors: filling out forms. Physicians can customize the patient interview screen so that all they have to do is tap to record whether the person has a particular symptom. Other data entry screens have expandable text boxes, giving physicians as much space as they need to take notes. At the end of the exam, the program will automatically organize the fields and generate a full report that can be printed or saved.

It's also effectively a database. It can keep track of the patient's lab results over time and looking up a record is as easy as writing or tapping the first few letters of the last name.

Another option for physicians is simply to dictate their notes into their mobile device. Those voice notes are easy to keep track of, though they still need to be transcribed.

Kinzner figures it took only a couple days to set up her Pocket PC and get familiar with the programs, an investment in time that was paid back almost immediately.

"They can save you a lot of time if you have good programs," she says.