MDCalc Medical Calculator App Review

Abstract

MDCalc offers all healthcare professionals a quick and well-designed tool to look up for popular clinical calculators that are supported by evidence-based medicine. The app allows you to select your speciality and have related calculations at a press of a button. The app offers hundreds of clinical decision tools including risk scores, algorithms, equations, diagnostic criteria, formulas, classifications, dosing calculators, and more at your fingertips.

App Specs

App icon URL: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mdcalc-medical-calculator/id1001640662?mt=8

App Name: MDCalc Medical Calculator

App developer: MD Aware, LLC

App developer website: https://www.mdcalc.com/

App price: Free

Apple App Store URL: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mdcalc-medical-calculator/id1001640662?mt=8

Google Play Store URL: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mdaware.mdcalc&hl=en_US

Category: Clinical, Medical, Reference

Tags: Medical Calculator, Evidence-Based Calculation

Compatibility: Requires iOS 9.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

Works offline: Yes

FDA approval: N/A

Promotion code: N/A

Quick Review

(1 star: lowest/5 stars: highest)

Overall rating (1–5): 5

Content (1–5): 5

Usability (1–5): 5

Pros: This app allows immediate access to the latest clinical calculators and references, which are supported by evidence-based medicine.

Cons: When using this app, it would be nice if the different calculators would be different in colors depending on specialty. The app also does not work in the portrait mode using iPhones.

At A Glance: MDCalc is a must have app for any healthcare profession that regularly requires quick references, whether it is in critical care situations or patient consults.

Full Review

Intro

MDCalc offers all healthcare professionals a quick and well-designed tool to look up popular clinical calculators that are supported by evidence-based medicine. The app allows you to select your specialty and has related calculations at a press of a button. The app offers hundreds of clinical decision tools including risk scores, algorithms, equations, diagnostic criteria, formulas, classifications, dosing calculators, and more at your fingertips.

Purpose/Features/Content

MDCalc serves as a go-to resource for healthcare professionals to navigate through daily clinical decision-making. It is purposely designed with the ability to choose your specific specialty and offer the relevant clinical decision tools including risk scores, algorithms, equations, diagnostic criteria, formulas, classifications, dosing calculators, and more.

Upon choosing a specific clinical tool, it will show you the main page. In the clinical tool home screen, it will give you the instructions and have all the questions you need to answer regarding the patient. There are also different tabs that offer links with the explanations on how to use it, when to use it, pearls/pitfalls, and why to use it. At the top of the screen, there are also tabs that will tell you what are the next steps following the result, the evidence behind the specific clinical tool, and the creator of the clinical tool.

Furthermore, the use of MDCalc numerous medical calculators is critical and instrumental in the acute setting when one requires fast and accurate recommendations for treating a patient. Overall, the app gives you all the tools and content one might require in making a clinical decision (Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4).

Fig. 1.

Home screen when first downloaded

Fig. 2.

Tutorial screen when first using the app

Fig. 3.

Search bar for clinical tools

Fig. 4.

Example of specific clinical tool homepage

Usability

The app is excellent with its straightforward design, easy to learn application layout, and visual aids. The app can be used either on the iPhone or iPad without losing the quality of the image.

Good

When first opening the app, it will walk you through how to use the app, once you create an account. Let you choose a specialty to have associated calculations that are associated with the specialty; you are able to switch between specialty or select none as well.

Room for Improvement

The only area I believe the app can improve is in a better way of presenting all the clinical tools available. It can be overwhelming for some individuals.