Mobile Apps & Resources: Ammi Flu

To keep you updated on the go, our ‘app of the month’ highlights one free informational app every month!

Librarian reviewers consider the audience and purpose of the apps, as well as highlighting additional features:
 
  • In the ‘Evidence’ section, we assess how easily an app user can identify the app’s currency and support from the evidence
  • In the ‘Usability’ section, we assess the organization of information and other usability factors that may contribute to user experience

Our complete grading criteria for evidence and usability are embedded in the review.

Please note that the reviewers are not healthcare professionals, and so cannot appraise the quality of any recommendations within the app. The reviews are not endorsements.

View the AHS policy on Mobile Wireless Devices and Services.

 

App of the Month - AMMI Flu

 

AMMI Flu

Reviewers

Rachel Zhao & Pamela Harrison

Version reviewed

1.1.0

Device & OS used

iPad iOS 10.3.3 (RZ) / iPad Air iOS 9.3.4 (PH)

Date of review

September 12, 2017 (RZ) / September 26, 2017 (PH)

 

 

Image Source: AMMI Flu, Apple App Store. ​Retrieved on September 27, 2017 from https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/ammi-flu/id747230887?ls=1&mt=8 

App developer

Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada (AMMI Canada) 

Contact

https://www.ammi.ca/

Devices

Apple iPhone, iPad, iPod touch [iOS 5.0+; not yet compatible with iOS 11.0+], last updated December 21, 2013

Country of origin

Canada

Size

16.4 MB

Specialties/
Disciplines

All healthcare practitioners in Canada

Comments

Content of this app applies to clinicians working with:

  • Patients presenting with flu symptoms
  • Persons predisposed to severe influenza
  • High-risk persons during community outbreaks

 

Stated Purpose

“The information in this app is intended for use by healthcare practitioners in Canada. It addresses the use of antiviral drugs in the management of influenza illness as published by AMMI Canada. For both zanamivir and oseltamivir, these guidelines are recommending some uses that are off-label and not approved by Health Canada. Accordingly, it remains incumbent on the prescribing clinician to apprise the patient that the drug has not been approved for this indication. Physicians are strongly advised to use clinical judgment when assessing patients and making treatment decisions. For complete recommendations, download the guidelines from the AMMI Canada website.” (Source: iTunes listing; also appears in ‘About’ > ‘Disclaimer.’

Notes

None

 

 

Part 1: Editorial committee, content updates, and evidence grading

Entries are not dated. Author names are provided, but individual contact information for authors is not provided. The app identifies the level of evidence and evidence grade for recommendations. 

Part 2: Source and authorship information for 3 entries

Evidence synthesis without citations. Author information is provided for the app as a whole, but not for individual entries.

AMMI Canada has produced and endorsed numerous guidelines; the app does not cite or link out to any specific one. Tracing the origin of the evidence is difficult.

Concerns about app currency: Date of last app update precedes publication of update to AMMI guidelines. (See Complete Evaluation for more information.) 

Organization of information

Clinical information is organized into categories:

  • Treatment
  • Antiviral prophylaxis
  • Recommendation
  • At-risk groups
  • Immunosuppression, and
  • Red flags  

 

There are also non-clinical information categories:

  • News & alerts (link out to Twitter feeds)
  • About 

Clinical information is displayed in algorithmic format: user answers questions on patient/person (e.g. age, severity of illness, prior treatment, etc.) and app displays targeted information accordingly. 

Navigation

Amount of clinical information displayed is limited, and determined by user answers to app questions. In-app content is easy to navigate. However, determining the sources of evidence – even from within AMMI Canada guidelines – is difficult to impossible. Connection to outside sources of evidence (excepting Twitter feeds and AMMI homepage) is not possible from within app, even with an Internet connection.

Internet connection required for use: No; Text search field: No; Browsable content: Yes; Advertisements: No; Pop-up advertisements: No; In-app purchases: No

 

 

‘News and Alerts’ section links to Twitter feeds:

@PHAC_GH; @HealthCanada; @CDCFlu

Users should be aware of other means of receiving alerts/updates.