Popular Apps for Nurses: Mobile apps are increasingly helping nurses work better. (929 hits)
According to research and advisory firm, Spyglass Consulting Group, 69 percent of hospitals interviewed in a survey released last year had nursing staff using mobile devices on the job to improve patient care and keep up with changes in the medical field.
The surveyed nurses said smartphones maximize productivity, improve patient safety, and minimize the risk of medical errors. Whether you are a nursing school student or a seasoned professional, it can take a while to learn which apps emerge as time-savers instead of time-thieves.
In alphabetical order, here are some popular apps to consider downloading:
Epocrates Rx. Considered one of the best free apps for drug information. This app includes a pill identifier, disease database, drug interaction checker, infectious disease guide and medical updates. Health plan formularies and medical calculators are also available.
Google Translate. This free app allows you to communicate with non-English speaking patients. The app translates words and phrases of more than 70 languages including: Spanish, Arabic, Japanese, Chinese, Thai and Yiddish. You can hear and speak the corresponding translation.
MedPage Today. Considered Medscape’s top competitor, this free app delivers the latest medical news and comprehensive reference information. It recently added a disease pathology section and drug monograph.
Medscape. Used by many health professionals daily, this comprehensive app from WebMD provides the latest in medical news and continuing medical education. It includes a clinical reference section that contains video tutorials.
Mini Nurse - Lite. A free app for student nurses with medication dosages, IV calculations, medical terms, practice questions on nursing subjects, and more.
Nursing Central. This tool helps nurses and students find information on diseases, tests, drugs, and procedures. Its database of 5,000 drugs automatically updates and it can help interpret hundreds of laboratory and diagnostic tests. Users can subscribe to nursing journals and search the entire MEDLINE/PubMed database.
Pediatric Support. This application facilitates the handling of an emergency involving a child. Type in the age and weight of a child and all functions will automatically adjust and calculate.
Pocket Lab Values: This handy lab reference app provides an easy presentation of lab values with a list of conditions for increased and decreased values. It keeps you up to date on numbers, such as ABGs and immunology values.
Skyscape Medical Resources. This free app includes drug information and medical calculators and other data for hundred of topics. It has one of the best dosing calculators around.
New apps surface all the time, but these easy to use digital tools are among the go-to apps that help nurses deliver quality patient care.
