Librarian reviewers from Saskatchewan Health Authority and Alberta Health Services consider the audience and purpose of the apps, as well as highlighting additional features:
Our complete grading criteria is embedded in the review.
Note: Reviewers are not healthcare professionals and don't appraise the quality of any recommendations within the app. Reviews are not meant as endorsements.
Diagnosaurus DDx |
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Image Source: Diagnosaurus DDx, Apple App Store. Retrieved on October 8, 2019 from: https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/diagnosaurus-ddx/id833728910id1072407249
Stated Purpose
“Diagnosaurus® is a valuable quick reference tool that contains over 1,000 differential diagnoses. Available for iOS and Android, this application helps healthcare professionals reach accurate diagnoses with speed and confidence at the point of care.” From Unbound Medicine website.
Diagnosaurus allows the user to provide differential diagnoses of symptoms, signs and diseases. Users can also view entries by organ system as well. Diagnosaurus also offers both etiology and differential diagnoses for various terms. Extremely limited view of topics in the “Free Preview” version of this app.
Features
Users can tag various entries and assign them to various needs in the point-of-care process. Users can also add sections to their favorites for later reference. There is also a Recent feature that saves the previous entries visited in earlier usage.
Screenshots
Specialties/Disciplines
Physicians, residents, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, allied health professionals
Notes
None
Part 1: Editorial committee, content updates, and evidence grading
Author (Roni F. Zeiger, MD) and publisher information (McGraw-Hill Education) are listed on the app, the app stores’ and the website. There is no listing of any editorial, peer-review committee or institutional/organizational affiliations in any of the aforementioned sources. As such, it is difficult to provide evidence grading to preview version of the Diagnosaurus app.
Part 2: Source and authorship information for 3 entries
Links to relevant evidence s-based studies are only provided in the subscription version, however, they are not provided for the entries in the preview version of the app. The developer and author of the app (Dr. Roni F. Zeiger) earned his MD at Stanford University and completed his internal medicine residency at the University of California. According to the TEDMED website he has written extensively in the medical sciences and is an authority in social media and health.
Organization of information
There are four main sections: “All Entries”, “Organ Systems”, “Symptoms” and “Diseases”. The term in each section is listed alphabetically. Each term contains information on the etiology and differential diagnoses in the section DDX.
Extremely limited view and content of topics in the “Free Preview” version of this app. The subscribed version contains the complete list of entries. The subscribed version also contains outside references and more cross links to other conditions for each entry.
Navigation
This App was very easy to navigate and was very intuitive. Users are able to browse entries in the four different categories alphabetically. Each entry has a related DDx entry for differential diagnoses.
The free version of the App is extremely limited. To access most entries and the related DDx’s, users will have to purchase a subscription to the App.
Extras
User Account required: Yes
Internet connection required for use: No
Text search field: Yes
Browsable content: Yes
Advertisements: No
Pop-up advertisements: No
In-app purchases: Yes
App requests access to the following on your device:
• Phone: read phone status and identity
• Device ID & call information:
• Identity: find accounts on the device
• Device & app history: retrieve running apps
• Contacts: find accounts on the device
Other: receive data from the internet, full network access, prevent device from sleeping, view network connections, Google Play license check
Devices
Compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Requires iOS 9.0 or later. https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/diagnosaurus-ddx/id833728910 Last updated (as per App store listing): November 1, 2018
Compatible with Android 4.4 and up.
• Windows Mobile (All platforms)
• Mb of available memory*
• ActiveSync 4.0 or later (Win XP or earlier)
• Windows Mobile Device Center (for MS Vista)
• Memory cards are supported
• Windows PC with internet connection
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.unbound.android.cqdzl&hl=en_CA Last updated (as per Google Play listing): July 11, 2019
Size
7.1 MB ; 17.2MB iPhone
App Developer
Roni F. Zeiger, MD
Country of Origin
United States
Contact
Roni F. Zeiger, MD: http://ronizeiger.com/
Facebook: Head of Health Strategy McGraw-Hill Medical:
https://mhmedical.com/umbrella-index.aspx
Unbound Medicine Inc.
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