An overview of diverse infectious-disease oriented resources available to iPhone/iPod touch users is reported by three USF Health physicians in the May 1, 2010 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Dr. Richard Oehler, and Dr. John Toney, faculty in the Division of Infectious Diseases and International Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, along with Dr. Kevin Smith, an USF Internal Medicine resident, co-authored the invited article. The authors note that the growing popularity of the online application service, or “App” store, by medical users, has proven to transform pocket resources for clinicians.

Apple’s iPhone and its sister device, the iPod Touch, with more than 500 million users and more than 200,000 downloadable applications, have become the leading handheld platform for healthcare practitioners to access personal information, medical reference, clinical data and medically-oriented “apps” on the go. These mobile devices have recently been joined by the tablet-sized iPad.

“With its growing adoption in the medical community, third-party developers of medical software have responded by making a number of paid and free applications available for medical iPhone users,” the authors write.

Among the select infectious disease-specific applications reviewed by the authors are clinical reference applications like the 5-Minute Infectious Diseases Consult, a comprehensive quick guide to the clinical diagnosis, laboratory tests and appropriate treatments for infectious diseases.

Drug information databases include Epocrates, constantly updated free access to information on thousands of drugs, including dosing, adverse reactions, formularies, pricing and pill reproductions as well as a medical calculator and the latest medical news and information. For a fee, the premium version adds disease information with images, information on herbal and over-the-counter medicines, and treatment guidelines with the option to search infectious disease syndromes by “bug” or drug class. FDA Drugs, one of the newest drug databases, has the unique ability to search all drugs with a specific active ingredient along with therapeutically equivalent generic alternatives.

Another category of medical apps target epidemiology and human and animal infection-related outbreaks, like the following three free offerings: Outbreaks Near Me, Swine Flu Tracker Map, and H1N1 (Swine Flu) Update.

The authors comment on future directions in medial apps, noting that the Food and Drug Administration is monitoring the iPhone operating system’s latest software that allows it to synchronize with medical devices such as glucose meters, obstetrical equipment, and blood pressure gauges. They envision a day when the smartphone transforms from a “geek gadget” to an FDA-approved hand-held medical machine.

The USF Division of Infectious Diseases and International Medicine is currently developing an IDPodcasts Mobile Viewer for the iPhone. Since 2007, the division’s website, IDPodcasts.net, has become a leading remote learning resource for infectious disease clinicians and medical students, with more than 100 podcasts on topics ranging from MRSA and the H1N1 flu pandemic to viral hepatitis.

Story by Anne DeLotto Baier, USF Health Communications