Mobile Resources: Biomedical

Some of our clinical resources, like DynaMed, offer the ability to download content onto a device. Other apps, such as Epocrates and NEJM, have mobile versions of their resource that are considered professionally reliable. Taking that into consideration, it is important to remember that in most cases anyone can create a mobile phone app. There are applications you may not readily recognize and will need to evaluate further. When considering mobile applications you should use most of the same criteria that you would use when evaluating a website:

• Who is the Author and what are their credentials? Can they be verified?
• When was the application created and when was its most recent update?
• How current is the information presented?
• Who is the intended audience? Is it professional or targeted toward consumers?
• Are there any sources cited for the information provided?
• Is the coverage of the material comprehensive?
• Is there enough information present that it can be verified with another source if needed?
• Is the content presented objectively?

For more information about mobile apps in medicine, visit iMedicalApps or the Journal of Mobile Technology in Medicine.

It is also a good idea to make sure the library does not already subscribe to the mobile format of a resource that is sold as a subscription.