Earlier this month we reviewed the free ACCP-SEEK app from the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), concluding the app represented an “outstanding resource” to assist with preparation for the pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine board exams. Today we review the ACCP’s other app, the mobile version of the prestigious CHEST journal.
CHEST is the official peer-reviewed publication of the ACCP, and publishes research advancements throughout the multidisciplinary umbrella of chest medicine, which includes pulmonology, critical care, sleep medicine, cardiorespiratory interactions, thoracic surgery, transplantation, and airways disease. Monthly readership numbers are over 30,000, and the acceptance rate has run 9-13% since 2005.
Among the 43 respiratory journals, CHEST ranks 3rd in impact factor and 2nd in total citations. Other features of CHEST include sections on recent advances in chest medicine, chest imaging and pathology, topics in practice management, medical writing tips, and pulmonary and critical care pearls.
Read below the jump to learn more about how CHEST Mobile helps deliver CHEST content to your mobile device (iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad).
The home screen of CHEST Mobile features the current issue of CHEST, as well as a complementary tab for the three previous issues. Options along the bottom bar include issues, in press, favorites, and history.
Continuing onto the current issue displays the various articles included in that issue, sorted by the various sections, which include editorials, the exciting point/counterpoint editorials, commentary, pulmonary vascular disorders, sleep disorders, critical care, COPD, asthma, cardiovascular disease, biomarkers, pulmonary procedures, pulmonary physiology, bronchiectasis, transplantation, diffuse lung disease, translating basic research, recent advances in chest medicine, medical ethics, topics in practice management, contemporary reviews, chest imaging and pathology, pulmonary and critical care pearls, pectoriloquy, and correspondence. Clearly, each issue of CHEST features an impressive wealth of content. Of note, these sections can be expanded and collapsed for easier browsing.
Alternatively, the articles in the current issue can be found via the search function in the upper-right corner.
Here, we take a look at a representative article. Tabs on the top of the screen offer quick toggling from the abstract to full text, as well as an option to view the article in PDF format.
Viewing the article in full text allows for quick movement between sections with the dynamic side-bar navigation. Via the bottom index bar, articles may also be marked as favorites for quick retrieval from the home screen.
Clicking on the top-right corner button displays the figures associated with the article. Each figure includes its associated caption, and can be zoomed and panned.
Alternatively, users may view the article in PDF format, which may be most useful for sharing the PDF file as an e-mail attachment quickly to oneself for later viewing or to colleagues, students, etc.
Other options under the current issue include “Papers in Press,” which features the long list of original research articles currently in press for viewing, with similar features as for viewing articles in the current issue as noted above.
The app also tracks your viewing history by day, for quick retrieval of previously viewed articles.
The CHEST Mobile app also offers access to the three most recent issues over the past three months, again offering the same viewing and sharing features described above for the current issue.
The ACCP has promised free full-text access through June 2011, but it is not yet clear what will happen after the end of June in terms of access and cost to CHEST material. Institutional and individual subscribers can (and will still be able to) enter their information for uninterrupted access to the journal material through the app.
Price:
- The CHEST mobile app is free in the app store, but subscription pricing is yet to be finalized after June 2011.
Likes:
- Great user interface with easy side-bar navigation, internal hyperlinks, and in-app browser
- Backed by the ACCP, CHEST has a terrific reputation among healthcare professionals
- Customized for the iPad as well
Dislikes:
- What’s going to happen to free full-text article access for non-subscribers after June 2011?
- While the material contained in the three most recent issues, current issue, and papers in press are impressive and this request is undoubtedly greedy, but it would be nice to have access to all issues of CHEST through the app
Summary:
- For internal medicine physicians and trainees, especially those practicing or interested in pulmonary medicine, the free CHEST journal app is a must-have for its delivery of outstanding CHEST content free of charge to your mobile device (at least through this month!).
iTunes link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/chest-journal/id405558430?mt=8
