© 2020 MJH Life Sciences™ and Cancer Network. All rights reserved.
10 Best Oncology Apps
Antonio P. DeRosa, MLIS
Oncologists were among the first practitioners to embrace mobile technologies. We present the top 10 oncology apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices.
The field of oncology is marked by experimental treatments, burgeoning research, and exciting clinical trials, so it’s no surprise that oncologists were among the first practitioners to embrace mobile technologies and realize the benefits of incorporating these tools into practice. What follows are my personal list of the 10 best medical apps for oncologists, in no particular order. The apps listed do not reflect the opinions of my employer.
BrowZine integrates with an institutional library or Information Center’s e-journal collection (which must be set up with Browzine first), allowing users access to full-text articles. Users can choose a journal from an alphabetical list or browse by subject area and create a bookshelf of content. They can download PDFs in the app interface and save them for later reading or send references to another app, bibliographic management tool, or email.
BrowZine is available for Android tablet, iPad, and iPhone: NO FEE to download (subscription needed to access content).
Micromedex is a simple, accurate, and easy to use drug reference tool. Users can search by drug name or class and receive information on adverse effects, interactions, contraindications, administration, and dosing.
Micromedex is available for Android, iPad, iPhone, and Windows 8: NO FEE for subscribers; $2.99 for non-subscribers.
Calculate by QxMD is just one of many medical calculator apps out there, but is has made this list because it is a complete source of calculations and formulas by medical specialty. In the Oncology specialty, you can see sub-groups Malignant Hematology, Solid Tumor, and Head & Neck Cancer Staging. The app displays the specific support tool options. After answering a series of questions, the user receives a predictive summary containing the results of the calculation.
Johns Hopkins ABX Guide contains useful information on the management, treatment, and diagnosis of infectious diseases, which cancer patients are more susceptible to. The app contains summaries on diseases themselves as well as available vaccines and major pathogens.
Johns Hopkins ABX Guide is available for Android, BlackBerry, iPad, and iPhone: NO FEE for institutional subscribers; $29.99 for individual purchase.
There are several PubMed apps out there, but I think PubMed on Tap is the best. With PubMed on Tap, the user can search either PubMed or PMC and can even input an organization or university’s unique proxy URL in the app’s settings-this tells the app to search that Library’s collection. If the article is in a journal that the Library subscribes to, the PDF can be easily downloaded.
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network app provides a list of all guidelines available for direct download. The app contains the guidelines in an alphabetical list, and the guideline need only be chosen and synched with the app in order to have them appear on the homepage. Users must have an account with NCCN in order to view and download the content.
Medscape is useful both a reference tool and a source of medical news, and Medscape’s Cancer Guides section is an authoritative source for guidelines. The reference lists attached to the guidelines are up to date and link out to the MEDLINE abstract, and ultimately, the online article. The news section of the app is continually updated from the web version, and the reference section of Medscape can be viewable offline.
This search interface retrieves results in three main buckets: Guidelines, PubMed, and Clinical Trials. Registration is required to see full guidelines on the web or full text/abstracts in PubMed; inPractice® is a subscription-based resource. Check with your Institution or University Library/Information Center for more information on subscribing to this tool.
inPractice® Oncology is available for iPad and iPhone: NO FEE to download (subscription needed access content).
DrawMD is a tool for communicating conditions, procedures, anatomy, and other information to patients. It consists of several different apps, each focusing on a different medical specialty, including Breast Health, Female Pelvis Surgery, General Surgery, and Urology among others. Users can choose from drawings that are built into the app, or use a photo of their own, or a black background to begin their own drawing. For instance, a surgeon may use DrawMD to show a patient where an incision will be made during a breast biopsy.