It is difficult to separate the healthcare industry from information technology these days. Anything from medical imaging to electronic medical records and the internal paging system now rely on IT solutions one way or another. Healthcare informatics is becoming a prominent part of the industry too, with more professionals pursuing a master’s in health informatics.
Aside from the big solutions and healthcare-specific technologies, there are also apps that are used by people working in this industry quite frequently. If you want to be a more effective healthcare professional – or you simply want to be more effective at work in general – here are the popular apps to use.
Evernote
A friend of mine who is pursuing his online MSHI degree from Adelphi University pointed out just how popular Evernote is across the healthcare industry. Healthcare professionals as well as the service providers rely on Evernote for several reasons.
First of all, Evernote is available on any platform, so you can synchronize notes regardless of the device you use. The app – or rather the solution – offers additional features that are handy in different situations; the handwriting recognition of Evernote is exceptionally accurate.
Medical professionals also use Evernote to store reports, presentations, references, and other materials they want to read later. Knowing just how busy medical professionals are on a day to day basis, it is easy to see how Evernote is the must-have app for storing and organizing information.
Medtimer
Medtimer is an iOS-only app, but similarly-equipped apps are also available on Android devices. As the name suggests, Medtimer is an app for timing heart rate and respiratory rate. Most of the time, the app is used to make sure a proper heart rate and respiratory rate are maintained during a busy day at work.
The app itself is very simple, but Medtimer maintains a reputation for being highly accurate. That is why healthcare professionals use this app to monitor their heart rate periodically throughout the day. Of course, there are also newer solutions, including today’s activity trackers and smartwatches.
UpToDate
According to the description of this app, UpToDate is a clinical decision support resource with evidence-based clinical information. What it is to medical professionals is a gateway to a wealth of information about clinical decisions as well as details such as drug recommendations and research studies.
The app is a pool of physicians and medical experts sharing their resources and improving patient care across the globe. Doctors and physicians can also search for explanations about the cases they currently deal with and connect with other physicians in the network.
The only downside of this app is the fact that it requires an institution or individual subscription. That said, UpToDate is becoming the standard for staying up to date with the latest patient care and new information from the medical world.
If you want to be a more effective medical professional, mastering these three apps is definitely a step worth taking. There are other apps that can support your work in the healthcare industry too, but we are going to save them for another article.