Crystal Clear Solutions has developed the Anesthesia 411 app to be a useful tool for anyone involved in the anesthesia care for the most common surgical procedures.

The app was developed to be a quick, simple guide.

Anesthesia 411 is aimed to help medical professionals understand the type of anesthesia needed for specific procedures, what extra equipment may be needed, and general pre-op, intra-op and post-op issues that may arise within a given procedure.

User Interface

The app opens up with a list of all of the 125+ procedures the app covers. The app has an extremely simple layout and if a user is not paying attention, they may miss the About section and the Notice section that are included with the list of procedures at the top. It may be better to link to these pages from a menu bar at the bottom of the screen on future updates.

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Once a specific procedure is selected, the app opens up to a quick info sheet about that surgery. The information is in a bulleted format and can vary in length depending on the procedure. Some of the information included in these guides relates to the anesthetic type that is used, any concerns that should be addressed, and any special equipment that is needed. One thing to note is that some of these guides include acronyms that are not explained elsewhere within the app. Below is an example of a procedure with very little information included.

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Other procedures have much more information included as well as images that may help the user. Unfortunately, these images cannot be zoomed in on without degrading the resolution. However, zooming in on the images may not be needed for the purpose of this app.

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A great feature of this app is that it allows users to add their own notes to each procedure. This can be very useful for those who want to add additional quick facts for future reference. These notes can be seen when the user clicks the notes button while viewing the same procedure they added the note for.

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One of the features that this app does not include is the ability to bookmark specific procedures.

Price

  • $3.99

Likes

  • The app has bulleted information which can be easy to review before heading into a case
  • The app allows the user to add their own notes

Dislikes

  • Acronyms are not explained anywhere in the app
  • Images cannot be zoomed in on
  • There is no way to bookmark procedures for later
  • Does not include reference material for the cases (doesn’t explain where information is derived)

Healthcare workers that would benefit from the app

  • CRNAs, residents and attending physicians can benefit from this app.

Conclusions

  • This app can be a great tool for residents, CRNAs and anesthesiologists. The information presented is great as a quick resource to look at and refresh topics that the user has learned and studied before.
  • This app cannot be used as a primary learning source due to the lack of depth of the information provided. The lack of references also requires the user to confirm if the information within the app is 100% current and correct.
  • As of publish, there is no Android version of the app available.

Type of Device used to review app–iPhone 5
Version of App–2.01

iTunes Link

Rating: (1 to 5 stars): 3.25/5

  1. User Interface: 2.5/5 – The app has a very simple layout and was made more for the content rather than the aesthetics. The app could be more user friendly if it included a menu bar to include the additional pages such as the About and Notice page. The content also seems to be uploaded versions of a document which prevent the user from copying text or clicking on images. The app could also use simple additional features such as bookmarking to make the app easier to use.
  2. Multimedia usage: 2.5/5 – The app does include images in some of the entries but they cannot be clicked on to enlarge. The user can only zoom in on them if they use two fingers but the resolution is compromised with this method.
  3. Price:  4/5 – The app is $3.99. The information is valuable for this price and can be a great resource for anyone who is new to the field of anesthesiology.
  4. Real world applicability:  4/5 – This app can be used before starting the most common surgical procedures by anyone involved in the anesthesia care.

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.