PillTalk is an app that was created for healthcare professionals to have easy to access information about any medication their patient may be on.
It was developed to be used as a tool to help counsel patients without having to sort through textbooks or other resources that are overly text heavy.
The key to drug information apps is to provide succinct and accurate information without providing a laundry list of side effects that are rarely, if ever, seen.
This app may be a tool that can be used in pharmacies, on the wards or even in clinic.
User Interface
The PillTalk app opens up with a screen that requests the user to sign up with a username, password and email.
This is a feature that may prevent a decent amount of users from actually using this app, which is unfortunate. After registering, which takes about 1 minute, the app allows the user to search for a medication they are interested in.
Once the user selects the medication of their choice, the app presents a screen that displays a list of important information about the medication. The information provided includes side effects, food and drug interactions and additional information about the disease the drug treats.
The drug interactions and side effects can be extensive which is not very effective when trying to determine the best information to counsel patients on. The rest of the information provided for the most common medications used is useful at the point of care, however, there are many less common drugs, such as Pemirolast or Orlistat, included in the app that do not have as much information. In addition, the information provided is not referenced so it needs to be verified by the user.
One great feature of the app is that it allows the user to make their own notes about each drug so that they can see it at a later time. The app also allows the user to give direct feedback to the developers about each drug listed.
The app also includes a feature that allows users to submit additional drugs if they are not already included within the app.
The app also has a menu bar that lists the different pages that can be found in the app. This menu also includes any drugs that have been bookmarked by the user or if the user has added notes for a specific drug.
Price
- Free
Likes
- Great user interface, very easy to use
- Allows user to add their own notes, suggest additional drugs, and easy to send feedback
Dislikes
- Sources for information for each drug is not available–have to sign up to use the app
- Not all drugs have comprehensive information listed
Healthcare workers that would benefit from the app
- Any healthcare professional who interacts with patients and discusses their medications with them could find this app useful.
Conclusion
- This app was developed to help give healthcare professionals quick access to the most important information about the medications their patients are on. The app covers many of the most commonly used prescriptions but has a lot of room to improve on the content for less common drugs. The app also falls into the trap of listing almost every known side effect of a drug. This makes the information less efficient to use.
- The app has many useful features such as adding notes, bookmarking and easy to use feedback submission.
- However, a big flaw of the app is the lack of references for the information provided.
- Overall, apps like the Micromedex app seem to be a superior source for the same information as it is well referenced and it has a Clinical Teaching section that provides a great summary of the most relevant clinical information that patients need to be counseled on.
Type of Device used to review app–iPhone 5
Version of App–2.0
Rating: (1 to 5 stars): 3.7/5
- User Interface: 4 – Very easy to use and navigate. Features include adding notes, bookmarks, submitting new content and feedback.
- Multimedia Usage: N/A
- Price: 5 – Free
- Real world applicability: 2 – Currently, there are many medications that are not covered in enough detail in this app. Also, the lack of references means that the user will need to confirm any information they find listed within the app.
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.
