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December 2008 — Happy Holidays! 
As we come to the end of another year, Epocrates is looking back at 2008, while looking to see what lies ahead in 2009. The year brought many advancements with Epocrates Rx® for iPhone, Epocrates Rx Pro® for BlackBerry® and the free Epocrates Online And there’s much to look forward to in the New Year with Epocrates Essentials® for iPhone™, Rx and Rx Pro for BlackBerry Storm and much more as we continue to develop products that help our customers serve their patients at the point-of-care. Help shape our future by telling us what you would like to see from Epocrates in 2009. Whether it’s topics for the newsletters, product ideas or just a comment about this year, we welcome all ideas. Submit your suggestions to youropinion@epocrates.com. In this issue: |
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Test your knowledge! Can you identify the disease in this image? Brought to you by Epocrates Online, featuring at-a-glance disease overviews, detailed diagnostic and treatment recommendations and national medical society guidelines. |
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Did you hear the one about...?
Share your comedic genius at community@epocrates.com |
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Are you receiving DocAlert messages? Just update (sync) your handheld or visit our help page to learn more. What to Watch This Season Back in the late 1960s, a New York City television station aired a recorded loop of a burning fireplace accompanied by holiday music. The WPIX Yule Log quickly became a sentimental favorite among viewers as a symbol of warmth and good cheer. YouTube and other sites now offer year-round versions of the crackling hearth. This year Google launched a new web tool that aims to display flu outbreak patterns weeks before the CDC reports them. Google.org, the company’s philanthropic arm, found a historical correlation between Google search engine queries for flu-related terms and physician visits for influenza-like symptoms. Because online search trends are captured daily, Google was able to estimate influenza activity a week or two ahead of CDC surveillance reports. Early detection might help focus public health efforts on regions that need it most as well as provide advance warning in the event of a future pandemic. They teamed up with the CDC to publish their results in the journal Nature. Check out Google Flu Trends online, and see how your state is faring this influenza season. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: 2008-2009 Influenza Vaccination Update This year’s update includes recommendations for routine vaccination of children age 5-18, beginning either this flu season or next. A continued focus of vaccination effort remains children aged 6 months through adolescence who are at increased risk for complications of the flu. Either trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV) or live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) can be used for healthy people ages 2 to 49 years old. Adults over age 49, people at higher risk for influenza complications because of underlying medical conditions, children with possible reactive airways disease (recurrent or recent wheezing), and children ages 6 to 23 months should receive TIV. Special recommendations for 2 doses of vaccine are recommended for children in certain age groups depending on previous flu vaccine history. LAIV should not be administered to children under age 5 who have possible reactive airways disease. The CDC notes that oseltamivir-resistant influenza A (H1N1) strains have been identified in the United States and some other countries. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices summarizes 5 major updates in their guidelines for influenza control and prevention for the 2008-2009 season. Recent FDA MedWatch Safety Alerts Nationwide Recall of Battery Caps for OneTouch Ping and Animas Insulin Pumps |
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Epilepsy Mobile Resource Center A brand new Mobile Resource Center! The Epilepsy Mobile Resource Center is a convenient handheld resource that can help you stay current in your practice. You’ll save time and effort with a summary of the most relevant clinical news and latest research on epilepsy. The articles are carefully selected and commented upon by contributing editor Frank Gilliam, MD, Director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at Weill Medical College of Cornell University and New York Presbyterian Hospital. And don’t forget! All Mobile Resource Centers are FREE to download! You may find the other Mobile Resources helpful too: Allergy and Asthma, Chronic Pain Management, Diabetes, IBS and Chronic Constipation, Fibromyalgia, ADHD, and Infection Management.
Do you need a simple tool that enables drug and disease searches? Do you want to add value to your website? Epocrates just released its FREE MedSearch tool to enable instant access to more than 3,500 drugs, plus hundreds of diseases, diagnostic approaches and treatment options. Get the Epocrates MedSearch tool onto your webpage with just two easy steps:
When you’re done it will look like this:
Upcoming Meetings — Meet the Epocrates Team! American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP): December 7-10, Booth #201 — Orlando, FL Updates at a Glance
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