TechTool review of EM Rashes by Emergency Medicine Residents’ Association on iOS (reviewed on iPhone)
EM rashes is designed to give the user an algorithm for quick diagnosis of rashes as they present in ED. The user answers a few simple questions about the rash and is taken to a page with information about the differential diagnoses. The content of the app is based on an article published in Emergency Medicine Magazine in 2010
Design and User Interface
- Basic but it works. The flow through the app is very easy to follow for the user – just answer the questions as they appear until the diagnosis page is reached. Some of the illustrations work well and make the app more interesting. The UI is a slight deviation from the usual iPhone UI but still sticks to what we know and love about Apple.
- The actual differential diagnosis pages, however are just one long page of rather boringly presented text. A little more thought could have gone into this
Clinical Content
- The index page asks the user to select from one of four rash types: diffuse erythematous rash, maculopapular rash; petechial or purpuric rash; or vesiculobullous rash
- Further questions follow about rash distribution and whether the patient is febrile
- The user can view the differentials which includes symptoms, diagnosis and management
Cost
- It’s free, thankfully
Room for Improvement
- Much more info is needed to help the ED doc make a diagnosis of a rash
- I don’t think I’m likely to see smallpox so it probably doesn’t merit being second on the list of bullous rashes after chicken pox.
- Too many typos which are causing a pedant like me much anxiety
Overall
This app doesn’t quite work for me. The idea of having a flow chart approach to diagnosing rashes is interesting and would certainly be handy given the number of times we are asked to identify rashes in the Emergency Department. But this app is too restrictive, based on one article alone – as a practical daily reference it is not that useful at all.
It is a perfect example of why not everything works in app form. Some things are best left as helpful journal articles.
About Tessa Davis
