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Survey of iPhone usage among anaesthetists in England

2011; Wiley; Volume: 66; Issue: 7 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/j.1365-2044.2011.06747.x

1365-2044

Kartheek Dasari, Stuart White, Jane Pateman,

Family and Patient Care in Intensive Care Units

AnaesthesiaVolume 66, Issue 7 p. 630-631 CorrespondenceFree Access Survey of iPhone usage among anaesthetists in England K. B. Dasari, K. B. DasariSearch for more papers by this authorS. M. White, S. M. WhiteSearch for more papers by this authorJ. Pateman, J. PatemanSearch for more papers by this author K. B. Dasari, K. B. DasariSearch for more papers by this authorS. M. White, S. M. WhiteSearch for more papers by this authorJ. Pateman, J. PatemanSearch for more papers by this author First published: 20 June 2011 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2044.2011.06747.xCitations: 39 A response to a previously published article or letter must be submitted via the dedicated correspondence website at http://www.anaesthesiacorrespondence.com, following the guidance there and using the online form (not uploaded as a Word attachment). Please note that a selection of this correspondence will be reproduced (possibly in modified form) in the Journal. Correspondence on new topics should be submitted as an email attachment to [email protected]. Copy should be prepared in the usual style of the Correspondence section. Authors must follow the Guidance for Authors at http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/anae, including completion and submission of an Author Declaration Form. AboutSectionsPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat We have read with interest several recent letters to Anaesthesia concerning the clinical applications of smartphones [1, 2], and agree that the potential for future innovation using this technology is considerable. In February 2010, we conducted a national, online questionnaire survey of anaesthetists to quantify iPhone usage (Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA, USA), assess application (app) use and identify future areas for anaesthesia-specific app innovation. We received 918 responses, of whom 59% owned an iPhone (50% consultants, 41% trainees and 9% non-consultant career grades). Of the iPhone users, medical apps had been used by 80%, with 60% finding anaesthesia-specific apps useful for clinical practice and 47% for educational purposes. Medical calculators were the most frequently used category of app. Respondents also stated that (inexpensive) country-specific apps could be developed, particularly Royal College compliant logbooks, and the Royal College of Anaesthetists/Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland should consider developing apps. There remains difficulty in accessing apps due to existing hospital telecommunication policies. The number of respondents represents only 8% of anaesthetists working in England and those responding were likely to be a self-selecting group of technology-aware anaesthetists; however, anecdotally we feel that smartphone usage is widespread among anaesthetists, leading one respondent to comment that 'surgeons find iPhones very useful, because they come with an anaesthetist attached'. Smartphone technology is changing the way that medicine is learnt and practised in the developed world, with users becoming increasingly more likely to access convenient, regularly updated, web-based literature than refer to hard copies of books or journals [3]. Anaesthetists use apps to access material difficult to use or unavailable in hard copy form, such as medical calculators, logbooks, resuscitation algorithms and demonstration videos. Compatible apps exist for other proprietary operating systems (Table 2). Table 2. Popular iPhone apps downloaded by respondents from iTunes store (prices correct as of January, 2011). App name Description Cost of download; £ iGasLog (iMobileMedic, Swindon, UK) Anaesthetic logbook 17.99 iResus (iMobileMedic, Swindon, UK) [6] Up-to-date resuscitation, provided by Resuscitation Council (UK) Free MedCalc (MedCalc Software bvba, Mariakerke, Belgium Medical calculator Free (Pro version 4.99) Epocrates (Epocrates, Inc.San Mateo, CA, USA) US drug reference resource Free Oxford Handbook of Anaesthesia (2nd edn) (Medhand International ab at http://www.medhand.com/index.php?site=drc&width=1676&height=817& Concise clinical guide to anaesthesia from popular Oxford Handbook series 34.99 AirStrip Technologies Remote patient monitoring (conditional) Free SonoAccess (SonoSite Inc., Bothell, WA, USA) Interactive ultrasound learning resource from SonoSite Free Paeds ED (iED Ltd at http://iedapps.com/) Age/weight/situation-specific paediatric drug and dosage calculator 1.19 ECG Guide (QxMD software at http://www.qxmd.com/company/contact) Teaching guide to ECG interpretation + examples 0.59 Possibly of the greatest interest to anaesthetists is the potential for innovative developments in patient care and monitoring, using what are effectively very powerful mobile computers. The potential for tele-consultation, together with remote monitoring, has been reported in anaesthetic practice [1]. Anaesthetists have also used smartphones to reduce anxiety during the inhalational induction of anaesthesia in children [2], and assess depth of sedation by using two-choice visual reaction time testing [4]. In future, apps similar to AirStrip (AirStrip Technologies, San Antonio, TX, USA) may facilitate basic monitoring and real-time parameter analysis, including in remote locations or during emergencies [5]. We would encourage future entrepreneurial app development by anaesthetists and professional bodies, with the aim of improving the patient experience, patient safety and medical education. KBD and JP own iPhones. SW has never owned a mobile phone. No external funding and no competing interests declared. The authors thank all respondents for their time in completing the survey and for their helpful additional comments. References 1 Low D, York B, Eisses MJ. A novel use for the Apple (4th generation) iPod Touch in the operating room. Anaesthesia 2011; 66: 61– 2. 2 Low D, Pittaway P. The 'iPhone' induction – a novel use for the Apple iPhone. Pediatric Anesthesia 2008; 18: 573– 4. 3 Burdette SD, Herchline TE, Oehler R. Surfing the web: practicing medicine in a technological age: using smartphones in clinical practice. Clinical Infectious Diseases 2008; 47: 117– 22. 4 Thomson AJ, Nimmo AF, Tiplady B, Glen JB. Evaluation of a new method of assessing depth of sedation using two-choice visual reaction time testing on a mobile phone. Anaesthesia 2009; 64: 32– 8. 5 Oresko JJ, Duschl H, Cheng AC. A wearable smartphone-based platform for real-time cardiovascular disease detection via electrocardiogram processing. Conference Proceedings of the Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society 2010; 14: 734– 40. 6 Low D, Clark N, Soar J, Padkin A, Stoneham A, Perkins GD, Nolan J. A randomised control trial to determine if use of the iResus© application on a smart phone improves the performance of an advanced life support provider in a simulated medical emergency. Anaesthesia 2011; 66: 255– 62. Citing Literature Volume66, Issue7July 2011Pages 630-631 ReferencesRelatedInformation