If you find yourself struggling as a medical student or a medical professional and have given up on books to help you out, it might be time to look in a new direction.
Here is a list of the best apps every medical student and professional must have on their mobile phone to help them become better healthcare professionals.
1. Medscape
Whether you're a first-year med student or an experienced healthcare professional, this app is for you. Medscape has tons of features aiming to provide you with news, information, and clinical answers.
You can get a personalized experience by choosing to receive medical news and the latest updates in your field of expertise. You can look at subsequent expert commentary and discussions related to the latest developments. The app also has 400+ medical calculators available to use whenever you want.
Medscape Decision Point also provides you with answers and a reliable treatment based on research and evidence for clinical conditions in cardiology, dermatology, allergies, and more. Need to check up on the validity of a medicine? The latest safety information for thousands of drugs and prescriptions is available. Other features include the Pill Identifier and Drug Interaction Checker.
Suppose all the news and information may be challenging to sort through and you still fail to find an answer. In that case, you can interact with the app's massive network of physicians and medical students using the Consult feature or watch some step-by-step procedural videos for visual understanding. The app is entirely free to use as well.
Download: Medscape for iOS | Android (Free)
2. VisualDx
This app uses a visual approach to teach better and help a medical student or professional make a therapeutic decision. You can use it for help with diagnosis, differentials, and access to quick treatment guides.
You can view great medical images to see the spread and variation of a disease or infection in a human. The app specializes in medical images for skin of people of color. The images will help you understand specific medical reactions and teach you how to identify infections and travel-related illnesses. Its library consists of over 3,200 diagnoses and more than 45,000 medical images.
You can also access therapy and learn about the best test options available for a patient. This app and its visual tools will aid any clinical decision you need to make, so you can gain an insight into the human body from different viewpoints.
An essential use of this app could also be to educate and assure patients by showing them reference images of a disease they may be diagnosed with.
Download: VisualDx for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)
3. Todoist
One of the most challenging tasks one faces in the medical field is time management. There's always too much to do and not enough time to cover everything. It may result in you feeling disoriented and consequently demotivated in general.
Todoist is an app that resolves that issue. It is ranked as one of the best to-do list apps and is used by over 25 million people to organize and plan. This is definitely essential to sort out your hectic routine.
You can instantly put in any task that comes to your mind and set a reminder or deadline for it as well. If you've got an extensive list of tasks to do, you can set different priority levels for each of them. If there's something you forget repeatedly, you can set recurring due dates and reminders as well.
It has excellent visual boards to create and assemble projects as well. Need to link documents, papers, or projects with classmates or colleagues? You can integrate Gmail, Google Calendar, Slack, and more. If you have an Apple device, the app has even more to offer with its multiple user interfaces on iPhone, iPad, and even the Apple Watch.
Being in the healthcare field doesn't have to be all work and no play if you learn to manage your time correctly with Todoist.
Download: Todoist for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)
4. Medical Dictionary by Farlex
Memorizing tons of new, never-ending terminology is quite a challenging task. Well, there's no need to worry if you've got this app on your iPhone or Android device.
Medical Dictionary by Farlex boasts a library of over 180,000 medical terms, more than 50,000 audio pronunciations, and over 12,000 images gathered from several reliable sources such as Gale, McGraw-Hill, and Elsevier. The terminology and in-depth definitions cover a broad range of fields in medicine, for example Anatomy, Physiology, Diseases, Nursing, Dentistry, and much more.
If you come across a term and can't recall where it's from or what it means, all you have to do is type it in and run a quick search. The app even runs offline for over 40,000 entries. You can view your recent searches and add bookmarks as you go. Abbreviations and acronyms are also available.
Can't seem to recall a term? Use the Advanced Search feature, which includes options such as "Starts With," "Ends With," "Contains," and "Wildcard."
Download: Medical Dictionary by Farlex for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)
5. MDCalc Medical Calculator
This is a clinical calculator created by reliable physicians to help in medical diagnosis. It consists of 550+ tools, including formulas, algorithms, classifications, drug dosing calculators, and risk scores. There is a search option you can use to look for and access new calculators, which you can then add to customizable lists, such as favorites and recently used.
The app works offline, unless you are tracking CME. The features usually have updated literature citations and research-based evidence, setting it apart from other similar apps available. MDCalc is renowned for its reliable advice, insight, and ability to help you create efficiency in your workflow.
Its clinical decision tools support over 35 specialties, including emergency medicine and infectious disease. Reference values are always provided, considering the chance of errors.
Download: MDCalc Medical Calculator for iOS | Android (Free)
Make Your Life Easier With These Great Medical Apps
Medicine is one of the most difficult professions to work in. It requires long hours of study, and the work can be strenuous at times. Despite that, many people choose to pursue it due to its clinical significance and fascinating study.
If you ever find yourself struggling in the medical profession, there are many great apps out there to help you along the way. From dictionaries to calculators to professional images and clinical diagnoses, these apps have them all.