Doctors across Tayside can now download an application to their mobile phone that helps them prescribe appropriate drugs.
They will be able to get important information on medicines and their use in the same way that they access music tracks.
Doctors can call up necessary information on medicines and their use while at a patient’s bedside or any other location where they might not have immediate access to a computer.
The technology is only available in Tayside and has been developed by local health professionals working with IT experts.
There has been a lot of interest from health professionals beyond Tayside keen to exploit the technology to suit their local needs.
The app can also be downloaded to an iPod Touch or iPad and has received positive comments from junior doctors involved in initial testing.
NHS Tayside principal pharmacist Karen Melville said, “Some of the feedback from junior doctors told us it was often difficult for them to access the formulary when they need to.”
The Tayside formulary is a store of information about drugs and their uses, along with other information that helps doctors follow best prescribing practice.
For years formularies were a sort of doctors’ bible, ever-present in surgeries and clinics.
With the advent of computers the information was stored electronically but lacked portability. Mobile technology and the app bridge that gap.
The app also allows information to be downloaded to the phone and accessed when the user has no internet signal.
Ms Melville said, “It’s a handy little device that can be used on the wards. It’s an option to go along with all the other options we have.”
The app will be formally launched in Dundee on February 3.
“The success measure (of the app) will be how many downloads we get after next Thursday,” said Carrie Marr, NHS Tayside’s associate director of change and innovation.
Image used under Creative Commons licence courtesy of Flickr user William Hook.