Handheld "Personal Digital Assistants" (PDAs) such as the popular Palm devices are rapidly becoming a tool of choice for the busy clinician, resident, and medical student. With handhelds, medical professionals can access and manage information at the point-of-care where decision support is crucial. Handheld devices can provide patient tracking, clinical diagnosis support, drug reference, medical dictionaries and calculators, calendars, and contact lists - all in a device that you can easily carry in your pocket and access instantly.

Please send any comments concerning this page to Karen Odato.

Select Lists

• Handheld Recommendations from the Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine
  http://handheld.medicine.dal.ca/software/index.htm Includes extensive annotations and recommendations for PDA hardware and software.
• Medical Files/Applications for the PDA from the AAFP
  http://www.aafp.org/fpm/20060700/44thet.html This site is developed by the American Academy of Family Physicians.
• Ectopic Brain: Palm OS Handhelds in Clinical Practice
  http://pbrain.hypermart.net/medapps.html
  "...a starting point for physicians who are interested in exploring the potential of PalmOS handheld computers in clinical practice." . Site developed by Kent Willyard, MD, Newport News, Virginia.
• AMSA Overview of Handheld Devices
  http://www.amsa.org/resource/pda.cfm
  Includes a list of resources recommended for 3rd year medical students from the American Medical Student Association.
• Pediatrics on Hand
  http://www.dcchildrens.com/pdas/home.aspx
  "...designed to help PDA novices and experts optimize the role of their handheld in any pediatric practice." From Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC.
• EBM Resources for the PDA
  http://www.dartmouth.edu/~biomed/resources.htmld/guides/ebm_pda.shtml

PDA Software Megalists - Medical

• PDA-MD
  http://www.pdamd.com/vertical/products.xml
  "... [A] comprehensive collection of handheld devices, software and accessories for the medical professional. And because we know your time is valuable our staff is constantly evaluating products and refining our collection to ensure that every item in our catalog is of the highest quality."
• Healthy Palm Pilot
  http://www.healthypalmpilot.com/
  Extensive list of categorized medical software, e.g., Diagnosis, Reference, Research Tools, etc. - all available for download.
• CollectiveMed.com
  http://www.collectivemed.com/
  Medical PDA software for Palm and Pocket PC.

PDA Software Megalists - All

• Handango
  http://www.handango.com/
• Palm Gear
  http://www.palmgear.com/
• Tucows
  http://www.tucows.com/
• FreewarePalm
  http://freewarepalm.com/

Guides, Tips, and Tutorials

• 10 Quick Tips for a More User-Friendly PDA from the American Academy of Family Physicians
  http://www.aafp.org/fpm/20030100/7010qu.html
• Handango's Glossary of Handheld Terms
  http://www.handango.com/Glossary.jsp?siteId=1&homePath=HANDANGO
• Tutorials from PDA-MD
  http://www.pdamd.com/vertical/tutorials.xml
• Graffiti Tricks
  http://www.antioch.com.sg/edgar/graffiti.html