Purpose of App Review
- To review the usability and flexibility of the SafeDose Pro app for finding and tracking medication doses.
Introduction
On a daily basis I prescribe several medications for any handful of patients.
Some of the medications health care providers use are weight-based and sometimes we give one patient several medications in an effort to treat their health issues.
The SafeDose Pro app acts as a guide to calculate the appropriate dose of a medication for your patient and even helps you track when it was given.
User Interface
The first time you use the app, you will be asked to register and be given a suggestion to watch the app tutorials (on YouTube). However, you may skip this and go to the home page.
The home screen allows you to navigate to most of the features of the app. The main feature of the app is the dose calculator. It utilizes a weight-based or color-based system (for pediatric patients).
You can choose weight by choosing your patient’s weight from a scroll-through menu, either under the By Weight category or By Color. For providers working with neonatal patients, you can also choose the category by color.
The bottom of the home screen allows you several options for searching for a medication of interest. The alphabetical list brings you to a separate screen where you can navigate through the alphabet to find your drug.
The search option allows you to search by drug name or drug barcode (if available). The final main drug search option is by categories of drugs. By clicking on a category, the app then presents organized recommendations or lists.
The final option brings you to your recently viewed medications, in order to review them. Regardless of the option you choose, selecting a drug brings you to the individual drug’s relevant information. This page includes dosing recommendations, calculations based on available concentrations (if applicable) of drugs, guidance on how to administer the drug, additional notations about the drug and related websites for more information.
You can choose to just reference the page, to log that medication for the patient you created (by choosing the weight) or to add the drug to a new patient. If you choose to apply the drug, the app then logs the app-chosen patient number and the patient’s weight category at the bottom of the drug page.
For each patient and medication, you have a few options. You can Order and Administer the drug by selecting the Rx and syringe radio button, respectively. Doing so will then log that dose’s date and time.
You can also add a title, notation, or take a picture for that particular drug/patient combination. As you move through the app, your patient/drug log will stay with you at the bottom of the page. You can erase drugs if you entered them incorrectly, as well as navigate back to the information sheet of the drug by selecting the drug name from the log.
Your log can be accessed separately from any drug’s information page by selecting the log radio button on the top left of the home screen. The log allows you to view your patients and the medications you have chosen for them, as well as email the summary of drugs for all or individual patients.
Price
- Free
Likes
- easy navigation
- log function that follows you around the app
- organization of drug-information pages without too much info
- ability to follow multiple patients with various weights and drugs
- quick reference section for frequently used drugs or concepts
- video tutorial available if you need some guidance using the app
Dislikes
- inability to access the log only from any screen other than the home screen
- log portion not given a separate window in the app
- limited to just acute/emergency-related drugs, not exhaustive
- difficult to figure out how to change language
Healthcare providers that would benefit from the app
- Healthcare providers providing care in acute or emergency settings
Conclusions
- The SafeDose Pro app provides helpful guidance and logging tools for acute-care related drugs, especially when electronic medical records and documentation is not readily available.
- The logging feature allows you to calculate and record drug ordering and administration, with several bonus features. The list of medications is large, but not exhaustive and therefore limits its full applicability. The app may redundant in settings where an electronic medical record is readily available and always utilized when medications are administered. This app is also available on the Android platform as SafeDose app.
iMedicalApps recommended?
- Yes, for settings with limited electronic medical records
Rating: 3.75/5
1. User Interface – 4. Relatively straightforward to navigate to and through different features of the app.
2. Multimedia usage – 3. Uses split-screen display, but not to its fullest or most helpful extent (would love to see the log section as a separate window)
3. Price – 5. Free!
4. Real world applicability – 3. Depends on your role and how often you work in acute-care settings, as well as your field (does not have the recommended IV medications for hypertensive crisis in obstetrics), but could be used on a daily basis if electronic medical records are not available and you do not have immediate access to written records.
App version: 3.02
Compatibility: iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Android
Requires: Requires iOS 4.3 or later, optimized for iPhone 5
Tested on: iPhone 4S and iPad 4
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 healthcare provider. It does not provide the definitive statement on the subject addressed. Before using these apps please consult with your own physician or healthcare 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 healthcare provider.
