epocrates: Drug Info & Pill ID

I love this app. Love love love it. The Highlights and Basics, Tests, DDx, and Tx tabs under the Quick Reference sections of specific diseases—along with a pharmaceutical dictionary—are indispensable. I truly feel this app makes daily clinical practice easier, smoother, and safer for patients and providers. The ONLY gripe I have about this app is that the News pops up throughout the day, prompting me to click on Headlines before I search for what I need to know, and this is on the PAID version. You are supposed to be able to search for what you need to know from this obligatory News screen. And that would be fine. If it worked. But 9/10 it doesn’t, you can’t, and the app crashes/stalls. I’ve emailed twice about this through the app and received personalized replies, but I could tell they were meaningless…and the issue still hasn’t been resolved. The app is otherwise perfect and if it were a matter of resolving this “issue”/improving the functionality of the app or risk losing the functionality currently available, I would not risk it. That’s how much I value this app.

I try to refrain from leaving negative reviews but this is the second time I've been left "stuck" without an answer to a question relying on Epocrates' mobile app. I am a paying customer and I feel that the same quality that goes into your online version should be integrated into your useless mobile app. As a pharmacist I sometimes have questions about dosage forms, medication strengths, formulation types, etc etc. Case in point, today I needed to quickly determine which form of olopatidine is designed for once daily dosing v. twice daily dosing. Simple stuff. I type in Pataday. The mobile app shows "Pataday". I click on it just to be fed to a blank page that says "now OTC"!? Great, where's the other information. So I search generic name where it has so truncated the information that you can't really use it as needed. For example, it lists generic name then both strengths of olopatidine but doesn't differentiate which correlates to the brand, and in this case, drug strength you're looking for. It may sound trivial but this happens often using their mobile site. And don't get me started on finding pK info and any meaningful pregnancy and lactation information on the web app. I really think that for paying users you should create a web version of the online Epocrates platform. I found that very useful in pharmacy school, on rotations, etc. I need that as a mobile friendly version!

It’s quick and easy to use. More detail is available under diagnosis and treatment approaches. The highlight and basics give a excellent overview of the disease subject. Medication guide gives accurate cost and links with good RX for online discount vouchers. References and sources are available for further review/reading. Calling or texting for help / trouble shooting is easy. Epoc staff are courteous friendly, timely and efficient. The case vignettes provide excellent examples of patient presentations. The material is easy to navigate and is a helpful tool to prepare lectures and presentations on the go for resident education. Occasionally there are some disease topics not easy to find or lumped in with a broader category of pathological states [i.e., H. Pylori infections vs PUD]. The Differential Diagnosis (ddx) section is also and excellent clinic tool for deciphering through unclear cases with ambiguous patient symptoms or when it is necessary to explore other etiologies. The Ddx lists key differentiating features —that help to rule-in or rule-out alternative competing diagnoses— including diagnostics [lab, imaging, & other tests], symptoms and physical exam findings. Overall I find this app (iPhone and iPad), and epocrates online to be a very helpful tool. It does not replace journal subscriptions, years of experience/ gestalt, or subspecialty consultations. For education, it should be used together with other sources such as Harrison’s, board reviews sources and review of original research articles.