ePocrates for Pocket PC

[marlof]

<a href="http://www.epocrates.com/products/">http://www.epocrates.com/products/</a><br /><br />One of the biggest medical handheld applications, perhaps even a killer application, is ePocrates. Many of my medical friends have asked again and again if ePocrates was available for the Pocket PC. However as the big yellow sign on the product page shows, it's a product for Palm OS handhelds only. As I understand there are alternatives for ePocrates in the Pocket PC world, but still people kept asking me about about ePocrates. And so far, ePocrates never saw enough reason to port their excellent product to the Pocket PC.<br /><br />But it seems they changed their mind as Gary Glick received a message by ePocrates stating that a Pocket PC version is under development: "We are pleased to announce that in response to thousands of requests, we are currently developing ePocrates Rx Pro, our premium drug reference software, for the Pocket PC platform. We plan on releasing ePocrates Rx Pro for the Pocket PC THIS SPRING. Please stay tuned to future ePocrates communications so we can keep you updated on the final release date and other details about the new software. (We would appreciate it if you could refrain from contacting our customer support team over the next few months to ask when the software will be released.)"<br /><br />So far only the premium Pro version is announced (which costs $49 per year on the Palm platform), and I don't know if the basic free version will follow. Still I think this is very, very cool. To me the fact that die hard Palm software like ePocrates is being ported to the Pocket PC means that the Pocket PC is still gaining momentum.

[Jimmy Dodd]

perhaps even a killer application

...probably not a good line for marketing to use in this case. :lol:

Otherwise, it's good to see die hard Palm apps finally being ported. [yes, pun intended]

[Foo Fighter]

Wow!!!! THIS IS MAJOR NEWS!!!! 8O

The lack of this app alone has kept PPC out of the medical market. Doors will open now. :P

[gfunkmagic]

As a medical student, I can tell you that Epocrates is the #1 reason many Docs first get pda's. It has become the "gateway" app that has encouraged the use of PalmOS pda's in the medical industry. It is because of apps like Epocrates that PalmOS pda's have nearly cornered teh Medical handheld segment. While it is good news that Epocrates had finally decided to port QrX, QiD etc to PPC, The market dominance of PalmOS may have already become to entrenched for PPC to overcome, especially with the advent of OS 5 devices that apporach PPC hardware capabilites...

[medic119]

They are discontinuing the Free version soon anyway. I loved ePocrates and have been begging them for years

[topps]

http://www.epocrates.com/products/

One of the biggest medical handheld applications, perhaps even a killer application, is ePocrates.

We have found ePocrates to be a "killer application" in quite a different sense...it is the only software that we have come across that has killed hardware! Something that is not supposed to happen, I know. We have had several members of our staff whose Palms were rendered totally inoperative after trying to remove ePocrates 4.0 - not even fixable with a hard reset.

This alone gave us pause but the much bigger concern has been the spyware component of ePocrates. The amount of information that they have access to on your PDA is scary. Furthermore, with their system, you are required to download drug updates frequently so you cannot protect your data from their prying eyes.

Our Infectious Disease department is incensed by the antibiotic recommendations, which they feel are too dominated by industry sponsorship, and that many recommendations are highly inappropriate.

Our strong recommendation to our students, residents and staff is to avoid ePocrates - it may be free...but you are paying for it in ways that you may not like.

[gfunkmagic]

They are discontinuing the Free version soon anyway. I loved ePocrates and have been begging them for years


Are you saying they're going to stop the Qrx free version and are only going to offer the paid Qrx pro? That would be bad indeed. AFAIK free Qrx will continue to exist...

[trepine]

The lack of this app alone has kept PPC out of the medical market. Doors will open now.

Actually, the one remaining barrier will be the $$. The only real reason that it was so popular was that it was free, and good. There are many other products out there for pocketpc that are good, just not free. See www.skyscape.com for an example. 0X

[whodat]

:devilboy:
While I'm not a big fan of anything with drug company fingerprints all over it, I'm even less a fan of expensive, out of date, and incomplete programs.
I used to use the Palm version of Epocrates. It wasn't perfect, but it got the job done pretty well (actually, I thought the ID part was the worst bit of it).
When I switched to PPC I bought the Skyscape version of Mosby's Drug Consult ("MosbyRx"). If you deal with women's health issues, it's TOTALLY INADEQUATE.
It's missing multiple contraceptives (significant innovations, not just "me-too" drugs), and mifepristone.
It still lists reduction of cardiovascular risk as an (off-label) indication for HRT.

It's also missing many other meds used in other areas of medicine.

The "page" on the pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics of the various insulin preparations gives a link to a table comparing the preparations. There is no table.

I could go on and on. I emailed them over a month ago asking whether an update correcting these issues was planned. I have not gotten any sort of reply.

IMHO, you're better off buying ePocrates & using your critical judgement about possible drug company-influenced recommendations.

[whodat]

ePocrates is out. I downloaded it the other night. The initial update is slow as molasses, but otherwise the process went smoothly & it's runing well. The ID application is not out yet, but is promised later.
I think it's well worth the $49.99.

The alleged pharmaceutical industry influence is a caveat. However, I find the program vastly superior in most ways to Skyscape's MosbyRx (see previous posting) or to LexiDrugs (though in fairness, the version of LD I am familiar with is a~1y old Palm OS version). When you consider the benefits to be had from having readily accessible, up to date information, I think the overall risk/cost:benefit ratio favors using ePocrates.

One recommendation I would make to limit the adverse effects of pharmaceutical industry meddling is PAY FOR THE PROGRAM YOURSELF rather than have a drug rep sponsor you, particularly if you are already out of training. There is no free lunch