Sickle Cell Anemia Apps - Empowering the Healthcare Consumer

I was talking with a student who plans to research sickle cell anemia for the course project.  That conversation prompted me to look at the Android and Apple App stores.  There are a couple of apps that may be helpful:

SiKL is an app designed as a personal health record for those affected by the disease.  It is free.  It include personal details, medical contacts, sickle cell history, other medical history, medications, and an emergency summary as well as sickle cell basics and health living advice.

Sickle Cell Disease Resource Locator is a free app for the Android and Apple devices.  The app assists patients/families to locate resources for sickle cell disease. 

Both apps have very good ratings. 

Turnitin Plagiarism App for iPad

At Georgia College we are fortunate to have a site license to Turnitin.  The plagiarism detecting software is also built into the Desire to Learn learning management system.  Students in classes I teach voice their appreciation for having access to the software.  I encourage students to "self-check" their papers with Turnitin website before they submit their papers for grading.

Users need to understand that the only thing that it does it to compare wording with other documents.  It does not  find instances where citations are omitted.  Turnitin is now available for instructors to use on the iPad.  When you open the app, you have an opportunity to experience an interactive tutorial on how to insert comments, both text and voice, as well as using the grading function.

The app can be downloaded at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/turnitin/id657602524?mt=8

Human Body Apps - Website and iPad App

I read about body maps this morning. The free online website is ad supported. The website is http://www.healthline.com/human-body-maps/  
 

At first glance, the value of the website may not be clear. It is intended for use by healthcare consumers as well as consumers with their healthcare providers.  It reminds me of the visible human that I had as a young girl.  You can strip away the layers of the body to learn.  The app includes an explanation about each layer.

The app is available for the iPad, too for a fee - $8.99 or $14.99 (U.S. dollars).  The iPad app allows the user to draw on the anatomical image and to share it with others using social networking tools.  That is where the value for healthcare providers has the potential.  A picture is worth a thousand words - and being able to explain heart, joint, other problems has great possibilities. 

Instagram - Share Your Life with Photos

Instagram is a free app (yes, always looking for great free apps) that allows you to take a photo with your cell phone or iPad.  The photo can be modified with a variety of digital filters and then shared with the world using Twitter, Flickr or Facebook. You can use a geotag to provide a map where the photo was taken.If you are a photography buff you can have followers or be "followed." To use the app, all that is required is a user name and password.


I can see some implications for education, for example, using the photos to create a "cookie trail" for a treasure hunt.  The software allows for learners to "tell their story" and has the potential of sparking curiosity on a topic.Instagram is fun and easy app to use!

SkyDrive for the iPad

Several months ago I wrote a blog about Microsoft OneNote for the iPad.  OneNote is the Microsoft version of Evernote.  It allows you to take notes with text or media and organize them into notebooks.  In addition to the CloudOn app, Microsoft has developed SkyDrive for the iPad.  In other words, I can access the 25 GB of Microsoft Office cloud storage.  Like the CloudOn app, you need to have the "purchased" Microsoft Office on a computer.  What SkyDrive does, it to provide cloud access to huge amounts of storage space.  It looks like more and more, we are gravitating to using the cloud for file access and storage.  For more information, go to http://lifehacker.com/5873076/windows-live-skydrive-available-for-ios-offering-25gb-of-cloud-storage-for-your-iphone?tag=downloads

CloudOn

Martha sent me a link about a new free iPad app this morning.  The app is called CloudOn.  You can edit and view Microsoft Office files using it.  That means that I would not have to purchase QuickOffice or Pages for the iPad, but I would have to have Microsoft Office on a personal computer somewhere.  In other words, it allows the user to use Word or Excel to edit files. When I opened a Word .docx file, the menu looks absolutely identical to a Microsoft Word for the desktop.  For more information, go to:
http://lifehacker.com/5872784/cloudon-brings-microsoft-office-to-your-ipad-complete-with-cloud-storage?tag=downloads

NEJM This Week App

New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) has an app for the iPad or iPhone - NEJM This Week.  The app is free and includes numerous articles, images with interpretation, audio summaries of articles, and video tutorials.  The articles are on a variety of topics.  As an example, this week there are articles on implementation of healthcare reform in California, accountable care organizations, and a case study of a 9-month child with liver failure. Examples of videos include blood pressure measurement, chest-tube insertion, and paracentesis.  The videos are pertinent to medical and nursing students.  The quality of the videos is excellent! 

More iPad apps

I have experimented with additional iPad apps over the past few days.  Martha continues to send me new ideas.  I now have the New York Times, USA Today, Pandora Internet Radio, Google, Flickr, Walgreens (pharmacy), and Zosh.

The newspapers work perfect on the iPad!  They are very easy to read and navigate.  On Pandora radio, you simply enter an artist, song, or composer.  Pandora works on the iPhone and the iPad.

Google is a Google search app that works with voice recognition software to conduct voice searches (iPhone and iPad).

Flickr is photo sharing, same as on the PC.

Walgreens allows you do all of the online pharmacy functions.  You can auto-renew prescriptions and receive email alerts when they are ready.

Zosh (http://zosh.com/) allows you to print, sign, and fax forms using an iPhone or iPad.

I look forward to hearing your experiences. 

iPad apps

Martha has been sending me iPad apps this week.  A couple of recent ones include eClicker.  Students can download the eClicker free and use their iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch as a clicker device.  The presenter pays $9.99 for the server eclicker.  This app would be perfect for Drexel nursing students who are required to have an iPod Touch.

Just this morning, she sent Phrase Board which allows a person to communicate in present time with their iPad by clicking on phrases, such as "I want pain medicine."