Have you ever had a patient ask you a randomly question that is definitely not common knowledge while in the pharmacy? Now that I’ve been working for a few months, I’ve come to realize how useful it is to have some quality pharmacy apps right on your phone handy and ready to go. In today’s post, I’ve rounded up some of the best pharmacy apps for pharmacists and for pharmacy students alike.
Epocrates
Epocrates is one of those go-to mobile pharmacy apps that is reliable, easy to do, and updated regularly. The app contains clinical reference information on drugs and includes features such as a pill identifier, drug interaction checker, and resources for COVID-19, all of which is available on the free version. You can pay a monthly fee for the premium features, which includes access to labs, disease monographs, ICD-10 codes, and even an infectious disease treatment selector.
Cost: $16.99 a month
Lexicomp
A lot of hospitals, schools, and larger organizations will partner with Lexicomp to have access to this resource for free. It is a charge if you don’t have access with your school or employer, but Lexicomp is a gem if you need a resource to look up evidence-based drug information. It also includes tabs for drug calculators, IV compatibility, patient education forms, toxicology, and drug interaction.
Cost: $29.99 a month
UptoDate
This app is kind of similar to the Lexicomp as in that most hospitals or larger organizations will give free access to their students or employees. So make sure to ask around before paying for this app and Lexicomp, since they are both on the heftier price tag. But UptoDate is a great resource if you are looking for general clinical information. I will say that for the pharmacy students, make sure to NEVER (I repeat never) cite UptoDate on any presentation, research paper, or any assignment. It looks really unprofessional. If you did find something useful, go to the bottom of the page on UptoDate and read the articles that they used to make the resource instead.
Cost: 57.00 monthly (or $559 for 1 year subscription)
Sanford Guide – Antimicrobial
Another amazing app for pharmacists is the Sandford Guide to Antimicrobial Therapy! If you find yourself working in the clinical or ambulatory type of settings, then this app would be amazing to have on your phone. This pharmacy app includes clinical reference for the treatment of infectious diseases, dosing tables for different drugs, information on clinical syndromes as well as pathogens. From what I hear, it’s concise and easy to use in a pinch.
Cost: $29.99 for 1 year subscription
Journal Club: Medicine
Do you need access to landmark trials (you know those trials that changed clinical practices) on a regular basis? Then this pharmacy app may be exactly what you need. This app makes it easy to reference landmark clinical trials and gives you a concise summary so you don’t have to read the entire 30-page document.
Cost: $6.99
CDC Vaccine Schedules
As a retail pharmacist, I’m asked on a daily basis what vaccines my patients need to receive and when. This free app from the CDC has been an easy resource for me to access on a regular basis. Nobody has time to go the website and filter through pages of information, but with this app, I can give an answer quickly and effectively.
Cost: Free
Google Translate
The Google Translate definitely comes in handy if you work with non-English speaking patients. Right on the app, you can translate words and phrases in more than 60 other languages, including Spanish, French, Italian, and more. It evens offers the option to do an instant two-way speech so you can answer any questions that your patients may have.
Cost: Free
Mendeley
I actually learned about this app from Dr. Erin Mays recently, and I’ve started to slowly utilize it for myself. She has a great blog post explaining the app in more details as well as sharing how she set it up. But basically Mendeley is an app where you can save a ton of documents and articles that you’ve accumulated over the years. This would be great to save like your journal clubs, research articles, and clinical guidelines. One of my preceptors actually used this app to have a ton of research articles in her field so she had easy access to everything she needed.
Cost: Free
What is your favorite apps that you use as a pharmacist or pharmacy student? Did I miss one of your favorites? Let me know in the comments below!
You may also enjoy: Advice for Your First Year in Pharmacy School, What I Wish I Knew Before Pharmacy School, and 10 Study Tips for Pharmacy Students
