SP0181 Apps That May Help Clinical Practice in Rheumatology
Authors: A. D. Gomez-Centeno
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2013)

<h3></h3> I am a rheumatologist working in public and private practice without formal background in computer science but with a special interest in software applications (apps) with the potential to streamline my work while preserving quality of care. I will present an overview of some of problems that i faced and some apps that have helped me to address these problems. File organization and access:Most of us use more than one computer each day, and probably a smartphone and lately a tablet. Inevitably, this results in the creation of multiple versions of the same file on more than one device. Despite that many choose to juggle with pen drives to try and keep files in synch there are apps like "Dropbox", "Skydrive" or "Google Drive" that may help us to access from wherever and keep synch our files. Information overload: It is almost impossible to keep up with the volume of available news and information. One possible solution to help with this information overload issue is to use Feed/RSS readers. Feeds or RSS (Really Simple Syndication) are essentially Website broadcasts in which users can retrieve information and articles from sites of interest all in one place. To access my subscribed Feeds/RSS, I use Google Reader™, a Web-based service accessible from any computer browser. Every user can subscribe to any number of Feeds/RSS and organize them according to context (ie, internal medicine journals, rheumatology journals, other medical journals, and also general news, sports, etc.). Information capture: Ideas pop up at the most inconvenient and unexpected times, especially when you don't have a means of jotting them down. Being able to capture them at any time or when you are browsing may be very useful. Another need faced by clinicians is archiving online content for future reference, which can be a cumbersome process. To address both of these issues, is very useful a service called Evernote®. Evernote® allows users to capture almost all information either with your computer, smartphone or tablet. After installing this app on a mobile device and computer, users can immediately archive anything they see, hear or think and keep access to this information in all their devices. Indices calculation and aid to fill in electronic medical records: Often, in rheumatologic clinical practice is required calculations of activity indices (like DAS, SDAI, SLEDAI etc), and of course, electronic medical records should be filled. Several applications may be useful for these purposes. I will highlight calculators for rheumatoid arthritis as RAcalculator, APs Smart calculator for psoriatic arthritis, available in both iOS and Android version. Another interessant application is Rhediant (available for free), which allows the indices calculation and fill in EMR. These are only some needs I face in my daily clinical practice, along with some of solutions that I use. Apps for computers, tablets and smartphones may help us to find solutions for our needs. There is apps almost for everything. Just have to look for. <h3>Disclosure of Interest</h3> None Declared