Pharmacist Must Have Apps – Great for MDs and Nurses Too

With hundreds of medications approved annually coupled with patent expiration, medications going generic and the plight of drug shortages, pharmacists are expected to know everything ranging from alternatives, doses, contraindications and drug interactions by medical residents, nurses and physicians. But patients, sometimes they want the information in a different language. Healthcare and medical applications (apps) are becoming mainstay, and pharmacists including other healthcare providers need to be plugged in technically as patients continue to leverage “Dr. Google”. Below are our top 5 apps that pharmacists must have.

Google Translate: We love this because it is free, breaks through the language barrier and it is compatible with Android, iPhone/iPod touch, iPad. This is very useful for pharmacists who work with non-English speaking patients. Google translate allows you to translate words and phrases in more than 65 languages, including English, Arabic, Catalan, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.
For most languages, you can speak your phrases and hear the corresponding translations.

Micromedex Drug Information: Thomson Reuters Healthcare has a new name: Truven Health Analytics but the functionality of the application has not changed. The app—which includes generic and trade names, adult and pediatric dosages, warnings, adverse effects, toxicology, and other information—was also recently added to Apple’s curated “Apps for Healthcare Professionals” category in iTunes. The current version is rated 4.5 stars out of 5 in iTunes, and is available for both iPhone and iPad.

Medscape App: An essential free general reference tool from WebMD for the iPhone or iPad. It puts a wealth of information at your fingertips, with diseases and conditions plus protocol and procedures in addition to a medication database. Other features are a medical news aggregator, mobile CME, a drug interaction checker, and a U.S. physician database.

Redi-Reader: Redi-Reader is a free app that is compatible with iPhone/iPod touch and iPad. It makes it easier for pharmacists to access these evidence-based recommendations from a mobile device. A reader that can be used for accessing designated medical references and guidelines including guidelines from the Infectious Disease Society of America, American Diabetes Association, STD Guidelines from the CDC, COPD Guidelines from the American Thoracic Society and others. Languages: English, Chinese, French, Portuguese, Spanish

Epocrates: Free app that includes monographs for more than 3,500 drugs. Yes, it’s updated at least once a week and available in the following platforms: iPhone/iPod touch, BlackBerry, Palm, Android and Windows Mobile. The Epocrates OTC drug module, for iPhone and iPod Touch, is a free app that lists information on more than 3,500 prescription and OTC medications. Information referenced includes dosing, warnings, contraindications, cautions, side-effects and reactions, drug interactions, retail pricing, insurance information, pictures, risks for specific types of patient (like pregnancy warnings), manufacturing information, DEA/FDA status, and pharmacology info.

Drugs.com: This is a free online database with a phone-friendly interface that on any phone with a browser. Information on more than 24,000 Rx and OTC medications includes dosing, warnings, contraindications, cautions, side-effects and reactions, drug interactions, retail pricing, insurance information, pictures, risks for specific types of patient (like pregnancy warnings), manufacturing information, DEA/FDA status, and pharmacology are available. A separate pill identifier database allows search by imprint, shape, and color.

What are favorite medication information app? Share with us so we can build this list.