Apps for nurses: Pedi QuickCalc

Over on our Facebook page, we’ve got a conversation brewing about the best nursing related phone apps. One of the nominees for best app is Pedi QuickCalc, a quick and easy-to-use calculator for pediatricians and nurses who work with them.

 

 

What nurses love about it:

“PediQuick is great for growth charts, BMI, blood pressure ranges for age, height, weight, gender, drug dosing calculator, etc. I’m a psych nurse and this app helps a lot with our pediatric patients, especially the kiddos on stimulants and antipsychotics.” – Melanie Chadwick McCrary via Facebook

The app is intuitive and simple to navigate with five main tabs listed at the bottom of the screen: Weight, Drugs, IV, Age and More. It was created by pediatrician Dr. W. Kent Bonney, and includes features such as an IV fluid calculator, a weight-based dosage calculator, a BMI-for-age calculator, the ability to plot on CDC or WHO growth charts, and links to helpful resources such as the BiliTool, AAP and the CDC website.

Learn more about the app

• Weight tab: Enter an initial patient weight in either pounds or kilograms (the app will auto-convert for you), then enter follow-up weight from a subsequent visit and note various measures of weight change, including how much weight the patient gained or lost. There’s also an arrow labeled “slide to estimate,” which by sliding your finger along a bar will display average weights for kids at certain ages.
• Drug tab: Search for your drug of choice alphabetically. Tap a drug name and get the correct dosage amount for your patient. It also provides additional dosing info at the bottom of the screen for neonates, children and adults, along with any drug precautions. The dosage can be changed by clicking the calculator icon in the top right hand corner to go to the dosage calculator and adjust.
• IV tab: Calculates the IV rates for a patient of a certain weight. It includes the amount to give for a bolus, as well as rates for maintenance, 10% deficit and 15% deficit. It also can calculate rates for adults.
• Age tab: Calculate a patient’s age, either by date of birth or time of birth for neonates. The user just has to scroll through and select the patient’s date and time of birth and the app will give the precise age.
• More tab: Pedi QuikCalc provides the user with various other resources, including a BP percentile calculator, growth charts and BiliTool. It also lists web links to common, reputable resources for physicians, such as the AAP, the CDC, Food Allergy Network and Google Flu Trends.

Final notes

• Compatibility: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch. Optimized for iPad. Available on the Apple App Store.
• Requires: iOS 5.0 or later
• Price: $1.99

What do you think? Would you use an app like this? Are you already a fan? We’d love to hear what applications you’re currently using and loving. Please drop us a line in the comments and let us know a few of your favorites!