Purpose of App Review
How useful is PaediCalc as a clinical application in pediatrics?
Introduction
The mantra of pediatrics is “children are not little adults.” When treating children, clinicians must use a child’s weight and age to calculate medication dosing and choose correctly sized equipment. Even the range of normal vital signs may differ greatly based on age.
Taking care of sick children in an emergent, critical setting is a stressful situation fraught with potential for calculation errors. Several systems exist to standardize these calculations and avoid errors.
US emergency departments traditionally use Broselow Tape. Now mobile apps are being developed to make that information available in every provider’s pocket. We’ve already reviewed several apps in this category, for example: PedsMeds, Safe Dose, and Quik Calc. Pedi Safe is another popular pediatric calculation app.
Here we will review PaediCalc, a new iOS app from mobile247, an Australian company.
User Interface
PaediCalc’s main menu clearly outlines all the information available. Each option is further subdivided by age group.
The app will calculate endotracheal tube size based on age, but does not specify whether the size provided is for cuffed or uncuffed endotracheal tubes.
Approximate weight is shown based on age.
The user can reference the range of Normal Vital signs for children in different age groups. (respiratory rate, heart rate, systolic blood pressure)
A visual Pediatric Pain scale can be used directly with patients to measure pain.
The drugs section shows weight based dosing for defibrillation, IV fluids, adrenaline (epinephrine), adenosine, and amiodarone.
My favorite feature found in this app is the giant text size. Whenever I’m looking something up during a stressful resuscitation, I want the answer to be clear and unambiguous. Large text may seem like a minor feature, but it’s probably my favorite. The pediatric pain scale is also a nice feature.
Otherwise, this app doesn’t bring much new to the table. The other apps in this market contain dosing for many more drugs, and some even have dosing calculators for patients with a known weight. Many also use color coding to mirror the Broselow system.
Price
- $0.99
Likes
- Clean, simple interface
- Large number displays
- Shows which equations are used for calculations
Dislikes
- Does not specify ETT size for cuffed vs. uncuffed tubes
- Only includes dosing for three critical care medications adrenaline (epinephrine), adenosine, and amiodarone
- Does not actually contain a calculator
Healthcare providers that would benefit from the app
- Physicians, residents, nurses, and medical students treating pediatric patients
Conclusions
- Paedi Calc is a bedside reference medical app for those taking care of emergent pediatric illnesses. Though the streamlined interface is laudable, the actual information contained in the app is limited. Pediatric clinicians may find that they need a more extensive reference. This app is currently not available on the Android platform.
iMedicalApps recommended?
- Yes.
Type of Device used to review app: iPhone 4S with iOS 6.1
Version of App: 1.0
Rating: 3.7/5
- User Interface - 4/5 Clean menus, very clear results display.
- Multimedia usage - NA
- Price - 5 - Affordable
- Real world applicability - 2 - Not enough information provided to replace functions of similar apps.
Disclaimer:
This post does not establish, nor is it intended to establish, a patient physician relationship with anyone. It does not substitute for professional advice, and does not substitute for an in-person evaluation with your health care provider. It does not provide the definitive statement on the subject addressed. Before using these apps please consult with your own physician or health care provider as to the apps validity and accuracy as this post is not intended to affirm the validity or accuracy of the apps in question. The app(s) mentioned in this post should not be used without discussing the app first with your health care provider.
