Another “must have” pediatric medical app is Pedi Quick Calc, reviewed here. It is a favorite of mine for both inpatient and outpatient work. The medical app has essentially four screens and a fifth grab bag screen. The first is a weight change calculator which I use at every newborn visit to check if the child is on target to regain their initial birth weight. This screen also directs the drug and IV dosing found on the second and third screens based on the “initial weight” entered. pic 5   pic 6 When you next toggle to the drug screen you can pick from an extensive list of both inpatient and outpatient medications. The actual dosing is automatically calculated based on the “initial weight” entered on the first screen. As an added bonus it even lists drug precautions for not only liver and kidney, but also for breastfeeding and pregnancy (for the mom of the kiddo). As a family practitioner this is extremely helpful as I can use this application from pregnancy through birth with breastfeeding and then into childhood until adult drug dosing is reached. pic 7 The third screen is IV bolus and maintenance rates based again on the initial weight. This is extremely handy for both inpatient and emergency medicine. pic 8 There is no other application that I found that covers pediatric drug dosing including fluid infusion rates as succinctly and in such a user friendly manner. The application even has a fourth and fifth screen which offers other references calculators. The fourth screen is a simple age calculator based on time or date of birth. This is a nice addition but not as useful as the previous calculators as this is often found automatically in the electronic health record. The fifth and final screen has a fairly extensive grab bag list of calculators and links such as a bili calculator (not the best format but is still a nice addition to the application), growth chart (CDC but not WHO), and topical steroid classification. pic 9   pic 10 The app is really unique and powerful. Pediatric drug dosing is not easy without a calculator and either a paper or computer reference. This application combines those needs with the added functionalities listed above. This is a definite top pediatric medical app for both inpatient and outpatient providers. If I see a new patient I will enter the weight and scroll directly to the drug I want to dose. It is that simple to use.

  • Link:Pedi Quick Calc
  • Conclusion: An extremely handy pediatric drug dosing, weight change, and fluid calculator for iOS. Perfect for both inpatient and outpatient use.
  • Price: $1.99 via the iPhone app store
  • Evidence based: While not as well organized as Kidometer, this app references “manufacturer’s product insert, Lexi-Drugs, Harriet Lane Handbook, and Nelson’s Pediatric Antimicrobial Therapy.” I prefer a dated list of the editions or, better still, a sentence in each drug listing about when it was last updated. Though, the data has been consistently reliable and is well sourced.
  • Rating: 5 Stars ( User Interface: 5, Multimedia: 5, Price: 5, Real World Applicability: 5)

We’ll be posting a continuation of this series soon.