I have been reviewing medical software for Windows Mobile and other devices for the past 15 years, and I have watched companies come and go, grow and stagnate. (You can read my last healthcare software roundup online at: smartphonemag.com/_archives/feb06/medical.aspx). If you have read my reviews over the years, you may recall two standout companies that have appeared in every medical software round-up—Epocrates (epocrates.com) and Skyscape (skyscape.com). For this year’s healthcare issue of Smartphone & Pocket PC magazine, I have decided to focus on these two companies and the improvements they have made over the past year. As their products and services have matured, mobile physicians using them are even better equipped to handle point-of-care diagnostic dilemmas in a much more efficient and effective manner.

As 2008 begins, it is an important time to revisit some of the developments with medical software for mobile devices over the past year. The top benefits of these solutions remain compelling—increased efficiency, better quality of care, and reduced medical errors.

The most recent study from the Archives of Internal Medicine found the number of fatal drug events between 1998 and 2005 increased by 270 percent. Today, more than ever before, it is vital that medical professionals have up-to-date medical reference material available to them in their daily practice.

Epocrates: New functionality and features

Epocrates Essentials Deluxe: Home screen (left); Tools screen (right).

Possibly no company has added more healthcare-related functionality and features to Windows Mobile devices than Epocrates. The following four things stand out: