The 360 series from Skyscape is a circumventing approach to encompass the whole issues and tools that a physician may need in a particular subject such as CME.
Here, we have the Life Support solution sporting information about all the ER life threatening scenarios that we may face including PALS and NALS scenarios.
This reference is based on the latest AHA guidelines and was written by an ER and a PDA expert; Grant Fraser the founder of Medical Wizards. The steps illustrated in a simple easy to read and to access style as seen on the slideshow above.
However; there are several shortcomings of this piece piece of software:
First; there is no Yes or No algorithm in the PALS scenarion and so we will be using PALS from DoctocCalc as it faster and easier.
Second; there is no built-in dose calculators and this will waste time looking up doses in other Skyscape titles.
Third; even when algorithms are there such as in the case of NALS, it is not yer supported on the iPhone platform.
We wish that they will correct these deficiencies in future updates…
The Skyscape platform works really well on the Harriet Lane
Here’s how it looks on the Windows Mobile screen
The pages are appropriately cross linked with a wonderful algorithms that guide us step by step to find pediatric answers at the bedside. The combination of Skyscape and Harriet Lane makes for a fantastic bedside pediatric PDA tool that is powerful, practical, with trusted content.
The price for all of the platforms is $55 except for the iPhone it’s 41 yearly subscription [here's the Skyscape purchase page] and here’s how it looks like on the iPhone;
The iPhone platform results in a much better user experience with a large screen that accommodates the wonderful pictures specially for the dermatology and the hematology sections. The latest updates from Skyscape also added the ability to directly purchase more Skyscape titles and the app can remember the last page visited. However, we regret the absence of interactive algorithms on the iPhone as seen above.
As we mentioned in a previous post the new Skyscape on iPhone also incorporates their SmartLink technology allowing us to cross with all the other Skyscape titles installed. This is unique among all other iPhone medical apps where cross linking across the different products is missing.
Unbound Medicine probably will never publish Elsevier titles any more because the problem is that Elsevier has their own online library in the form of Student Consult [such as Pediatric Secrets] and Expert Consult [such as this Harriet Lane] and this will conflict with Unbound policy of producing Web, PDA, and Wireless platforms for all of their products.
And why they did not use their own Pocket Consult platforms because that’s again the stagnant Mobipocket reader wich [unlike Skyscape] does not provide Blackberry, Symbian, or iPhone compatibility.
The famous Pediatric Handbook is out in a new renovated face and this time exclusively from Skyscape. The latest edition available in the Mobipocket format is the 16th and no more, therefore it seems that Elsevier [see their web page] will continue with Skyscape alone and no more French Mobipocket. The Antimicrobial version is still not available for the PDA.
The Harriet Lane looks like a collection of notes written by a clever pediatric resident where practical information that matters most at the bedside is tabulated and summarized. Therefore, appropriately named as a Manual for Pediatric House Officers. Historically, since its release in 1953 the print edition of this little book has been recognized by peds as quick and easy to use pediatric reference in practice. So how about having a digital Skyscape copy! This is certainly going to be one of the most popular ebooks carried around in pediatric corridors. You can vote for it as a best all-in-one application [currently Pedisuite is holding the first position] or whenever it appears in the voting for best in different categories at Pda4peds.
The Harriet was first categorized in Pda4peds in the References category but soon it was shifted to the All-in-Applications, simply because we couldn’t help disregard the bundle of a Lab reference, Drugs, Calculators, ER, and the many other features packed in. It is a truly an all-in-one app.
Skyscape provides this title in every format that you can think of including the iPhone. The Windows Mobile – Palm version for $55 and the iPhone version for $41.
As we posted in an earlier post that Skyscape has launched its native version on the iPhone. Now, what’s interesting is that we can actually migrate whatever titles that we’ve purchased for the online version to the native version.
Here are some screenshots
We can notice above that there is a message that we SHOULD migrate before 12/31/2008! What does that mean? It seems likely that they will stop iphone.skyscape.com altogether and want us all to reside native.
For us end users it does not make a difference, we will still get the latest updates via WiFi or 3G and in fact it might be even better as we will have access to the content even if we are disconnected as the files now will actually be installed on Skyscpae Medical Resources app rather than on Skyscape’s servers.
The native iPhone version of Skyscape has been delivered and was named Skyscape Medical Resources, a name that indicates the huge database of titles of the iconic medical applications developer.
Skyscape Medical Resources sports four free titles, these are: Archimedes, Outlines in Clinical Medicine, MedAlerts, and Rx Drugs. Yes, I know that you’ve never heard of such a free offer from Skyscape BUT it’s true they are offering it absolutely free. Click here to open up the free download page on your iTunes.
Not only it provides these lovely four free goodies but it also functions like a portal to all other Skyscape titles where we can purchase the yearly subscription [See screenshots above].
So they intelligently did not market their products separately just like what Lexi has done but instead they developed a single app that we all going to download [because it's free] and then we’ll gradually get tempted to buy the other Skyscape titles from within the app itself. [Update 04-24-09], Now apps are marketed separately but still they flow into the single app, read related post.
Other thoughtful advantages of the single app are:
1) They can send you updates in a single packet instead of having to update many titles a process which takes fairly long time for Apple to approve.
2) They can include their popular SmartLink technology enabling the users to cross link among all the installed apps a function which would have not been feasible on multiple apps.
The flow of pages and the extremely easy interface coupled with large fonts and screen and a flip and touch iPhone’s navigation makes Skyscape a real medical treasure on our iPhone and iPod Touch.
All the features we used to have on the Palm and PocketPC are there such as the history tab and the multi-indexing of each title and even you get some extra iPhone features such as zooming in by double tapping. However, some functions are still missing such as the interactive flow charts and external linking.
Currently there are 350+ [out of the total 500+] Skyscape titles that have been made iPhone ready and can be downloaded either directly from the Skyscape website or from within the Skyscape Medical Resources itself.
Before the availability of this native app they used to offer their products online through their iPhone website http://iphone.skyscape.com and if you have purchased a subscription on that website you can switch to the native version.
So no more excuses now that we have the largest medical PDA library available and up and running so we can safely get ourselves a new iPhone or iPod Touch for Christmas!
Skyscape Archimedes set of calculators is undoubtedly the most comprehensive clinical calculators tool that we can have on the PDA or Smartphones [If you agree or disagree participate in this poll].
Skyscape publishes Archimedes in two versions Free, and Archimedes 360 for $25 for all platforms and $19 for the iPhone.
The obvious question here is What’s the difference?
Skyscape titles are all equipped with Main Index so that when we type in the search box we can find what we want. In Archimedes the same calculator might be indexed twice or even more in the main index so that for example if we search for Pediatric maintenance fluids or maintenance fluids pediatrics we’ll be then linked to the same calculator. Which is not bad at all.
But the problem here is that what they mention on their website of the free Archimedes having 130+ and Archimedes 360 having 200+ is not precise because these are main index numbers and not actual number of calculators! So the difference is NOT 70+ between the two.
In fact, if you compare the two version side by side you’ll find that the difference is only 46 calculators [for a list of these calculators check this pda4peds page].
As far as we [pediatricians] are concerned with, we will not miss these calculators in the free version because these are not so commonly used formulas except perhaps for immunizations schedules and growth charts.
For the latter two, check out the vaccines and growth categories of pda4peds for a list of free resources.
So the advice still holds true, don’t waste the 25 bucks and be satisfied with the free version.
It seems that they were upgrading products to include the new iPhone Subscription version and they did it here but they forgot to delete the old URL. But even if this is the case then why they increased the Standard version price to $79.95! The $69.95 price quote is standard from other vendors such as Unbound Medicine.
So is it really that they cheered us up with new lowered iPhone prices but meanwhile they gonna balance that off with an increased standard [Windows Mobile and Palm] prices!
Recently Skyscape has started to offer two versions of their products namely Standard and Subscription Based!
Here’s how it looks on the product page:
The above example is what’s seen on the 5 Minutes Pediatric Consult product page. There’s a price issue about this particular product [read this post].
In a previous post we concluded that there is no point in Skyscape’s subscription as long as you can keep the title after the end of the subscription period and this is specially true as new editions of titles already have to be purchased altogether with no discounted upgrade price. It seems Skyscape has figured out the issue and they came up with this solution.
Here’s how they did it:
Pop up windows that appear when we click on the ? icon against each version [as seen in the picture above] exactly reads as follows:
Standard Version:
Free content updates for 12 months (not including new editions)
Continued use after 12 months (no updates)
90 days phone support (chat and email ongoing)
Subscription Based Version:
Content updates include new editions
Convenient auto-renewal option for continued use
Ongoing phone, chat and email support
Device upgrade protection
Obviously they mean that the subscription based version will disappear if you don’t renew while the standard one will stay on your device.
Of note also is that the New subscription based version is only available for the iPhone! Perhaps they thought that the only that they can produce lower prices [to compete with the iTunes crazy low prices of apps] is by actually giving a one year subscription so that we keep paying them every year!
Even then their prices still far more expensive than the other iPhone apps that we’ve seen so far!
This great pocket dictionary has been carried by doctors for years and it has become even a smaller, it is just now few MBs in our handhelds!
Skyscape recently introduced this title to be added to their list of dictionaries which are all Palm-BB-WM compatible.
Dorland’s is famous for it’s simplicity and coverage of most terms ever looked up in clinical practice and so this piece of PDA software will be truly useful no doubt about it.
However there are some shortcomings still
Adding images would be great (probably to LWW not Skyscape here)
It would be great to have a utility in Skyscape in which a long tap on any word in any program will pop an option to check the definition of that word in a co-installed Skyscape dictionary be it this one or Taber’s or Stedman’s, Isn’t that going to be great! This feature is available in Mobipocket reader by the way.
Back in October 2006 Pda4peds reviewed Skyscape Archimedes and there were many concerns that this great set of calculators is missing a lot of pediatric tools.
Today, Archimedes has undergone tremendous updates and additions and the pediatric section is growing larger day by day. “To see the video below please allow WM player plugin to be installed”
Now it includes lovely tools of growth calculations such as the food pyramid and the normal vital signs. The Glasgow Coma Scale is now coming in three versions (<1, 1-5, and >5 years) appropriately addressing the changes in verbal response scores.
Additionally, they have added live links to external resources such as the CDC growth charts and more detailed information is now available for each calculators and how the equation works and both of these features were missing in the old version.
Also, previously we recommended to go for the free Archimedes version as it has no more pediatric calcs than the paid Archimedes 360, BUT this has changed now there are several more calculators in the paid version justifying the 25 bucks.
So thumbs up for Skyscape as they continue working hard in improving the pediatric content of their titles and we withdraw our previous comments…
