Windows Phone Thoughts: Examining Epocrates Essentials

Figure 1: AutoUpdate on the Pocket PC.

Updates
Epocrates' AutoUpdate technology makes for a painless updating process with AutoUpdate components installed on both the PC and Pocket PC. The local Pocket PC client allows you to synchronise your clinical databases with the Epocrates server when you are away from the computer, which is particularly useful when your Pocket PC is connected to a public wireless network. Otherwise, updating with the PC via ActiveSync is relatively straightforward as it initiates itself upon creation of the ActiveSync connection. The first synchronisation can be a little time-consuming as it requires a lengthy period to complete a first-time update of all the clinical databases, validation of your subscription, and activation of the Epocrates Essentials program. Subsequent synchronisations are accomplished relatively quickly and trouble-free. I tested it on both a dial-up and broadband connection. Synchronisation of all the databases took 25 seconds on the dial-up connection (56K), while broadband (512K) was noticeably shorter at 10 seconds. Termination of the updating process may lead to database corruption, so you may want to keep this in mind if you intend on using the program. I never had the opportunity to test this out, but at any rate, I didn't want to anyway.

The "Add Formularies" feature is a useful one. This must be done from the Epocrates website, where you are required to sign into your account. From there, you are able to select the district and type of formulary you wish to update onto your device. Support is largely extended to states of the USA, although there is minor support for some countries outside of the USA. I hope this is extended in the near future. Types of formularies are classed in four major categories: Health Plans, Hospitals, Pharmacy Benefit Managers, and Other Groups. The website provides an approximate file size and downloads the content to your device when you have finished editing your formulary profile.

Epocrates Essentials also lists the time of last update of the clinical databases. New findings are common in medicine so it's always convenient to be able to track how current your databases are. They are usually revised and updated by Epocrates every week, although MedTools (discussed later) is updated daily to deliver the latest medical reports in the palm of your hand.

Crying for Help! Gold Support to the Rescue!
I'll confess that my first synchronisation did not occur without a hitch. Although I had managed to install Epocrates Essentials without any problems, I did not bother checking how much available memory I had on my device, and that worked against me when my first synchronisation failed to complete. I had approximately 3.5MB of available memory before synchronisation, which was clearly below the system requirements. However, I had no idea that it was a memory-based problem at the time, so I proceeded to contact Epocrates Gold Support via email, quoted my error code, and they managed to reply to my query within the next working day. They were very friendly and solved my problem fast! I believe that excellent support should not be disregarded when purchasing software, and Epocrates Essentials did not fail to live up to that expectation. So for those of you considering on purchasing Epocrates Essentials, you will be happy knowing that you won't be hung out to dry if you ever run into a problem.