FIGURE B

Search by class of drug.

Once you select a drug, you're immediately given the adult prescription information for it, as pictured in Figure C.

FIGURE C

You'll instantly get the adult prescription information for any drug.

Other pieces of information such as child doses, drug interactions, adverse reactions, etc. are available as well, as seen in Figure D.

FIGURE D

Other information is available as well.

Reduce medical errors
Investigators at Brigham and Women's Hospital conducted a seven-day, online survey of physicians who used ePocrates qRx during March 2000, and they presented the study at the American Medical Informatics Association's annual meeting in November 2000. The survey found that 50% of physicians indicated that using ePocrates qRx helped them avoid one or more adverse drug events per week, 80% said that ePocrates qRx improved their drug knowledge, and 83% said that their patients were better informed as a result. Meanwhile, 54% of patients reported higher levels of satisfaction with their medical care.

"The other day I advised a surgeon on Levaquin dosing," wrote one ePocrates user identifying himself as Dr. DeLeeuw. "Something was nagging me so I looked up the dosing on ePocrates qRx and found my error. I called the floor and corrected the potential overdose before it happened."

I spoke with Michelle Snyder, VP of Marketing and Strategic Planning at ePocrates, and she informed me that about 30% of ePocrates users have said that they bought Palm devices just so they could use ePocrates' software. As an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) partner with Palm, ePocrates makes this easy to do, as they sell their very own ePocrates branded Palm Vx at http://www.epocrates.com/webstore2/.

Treat infectious diseases
ePocrates has recently released a new application called qID. This infectious disease application for Palm OS handhelds helps you find antimicrobial treatment recommendations quickly by accessing information on over 400 pathogens and 400 drugs.

The qID application was developed by ten infectious disease specialists from prestigious institutions across the U.S. The program is free to download at http://www.epocrates.com/products/qID/.

Solutions that work where you work
Applications like ePocrates qRx and ePocrates qID are becoming essential tools for doctors because, as Snyder said, "They work the way physicians work." It's now possible to access vital, life-saving information at the point-of-care. The volume of ever-changing information healthcare professionals need to keep at their fingertips is staggering. Thanks to handy applications for Palm OS devices, that burden is easing, which is good for everyone, no matter which side of the stethoscope you're on.

Contributing Editor Bill Mann is a freelance technology writer/instructor who has trained over 2000 people in the use of Microsoft Outlook. Check out his book, "How to Do Everything with Microsoft Office Outlook 2007" on Amazon.com. For more on Outlook, visit his website at http://www.living-with-outlook.com. You can also write him at Outlook2007@techforyou.com.