This application is of professional quality, and provides a huge amount of pharmaceutical data in a very plain, user friendly interface.  It accesses a constantly updated database of many drugs, both prescription and nonprescription, and affords users access to this data in a variety of ways.

In order to begin using Epocrates, the application must be registered; users must provide a contact email; and then provide answers for some short questions that include your primary use for the application.  Once this has been accomplished you will be navigated toward a home screen that is divided into 5 different sections.

The upper section is where you’ll find the search bar.  Simply enter the name of the medication you’d like information on, and as you begin to type the app will give you autocomplete suggestions.  When you select 1 a Drug Reference page is displayed, with entries for both the brand name as well as its genetic versions.  You then select 1 of these and the data is displayed, including pictures of the pill for purposes of identification; pricing; manufacturer information; pharmacology; safety; drug interactions; adverse reactions; contraindications; warnings; the medical conditions for which it is prescribed; and recommended dosage.

At the lower end of the page you will find the buttons that will allow you to add the drug you’re viewing to a list of Favourites, or to move it to the feature called InteractionCheck.  This is an interesting feature which will allow you to choose up to 30 different medications, nonprescription as well as prescription, and find information on all their known interactions, a very helpful element for individuals using more than 1 kind of medicine.

On the principal screen you will next find a box in the style of one from a carousel, which will cycle through endorsements that highlight the various elements of the app.  Clicking on one of these will activate it, like Pill ID for example, an element that allows you to identify unknown medicine by means on the physical elements of the pill.

Underneath this carousel you will find your Favorites, and beneath this is your Tools area, divided into MedMath; Tables; and Drug Reference.  Tables is a big collection of general references; guidelines; and diagnostic aids, a veritable medical encyclopedia.  MedMath is made up of 40 plus calculators for medical formulas like Body Mass Index, or BMI, and Ideal Body Weight.

The final screen is named Other, and here you will find a history of all the things you have viewed previously, and a help section consisting of medical abbreviations, as well as a link to Epocrates’ online support and email address.

Although this app can be seen as a valuable educational tool for the layman it has not been intended as a substitute for a health care professional.  It is a wonderful support tool for professionals and provides for a reference application that is helpful.