The Merck Manual: Home Edition

I put the Merck Manual: Home Edition on my iPhone and as I was reading through it I began to wonder why my iPhone didn’t suddenly weigh fifty pounds! This app has soooooo much information in it that I just envision the book version being of a very impressive size. I’m constantly using Google for medical research but now I’ve got the Merck Manual and I must say it’s a fantastic alternative. It’s written simply and has been put together by hundreds of medical experts. No more trusting my personal diagnosis to a Yahoo message board or better yet, Wikipedia.

The Merck Manual app has been well designed and is easy to navigate. You won’t get lost as you’re hunting around in it. From the main screen you can browse by section or explore the index. You can also perform a search and I found this feature to be terrific. I typed in a keyword and not only did I get the list of conditions associated with it, I also got a huge list of articles that mentioned that keyword. The “Emergencies & Injuries” section provides all sorts of helpful, easy to understand information as well.

On the bottom of the main screen you’ll see a button with a question mark on it. It’s labeled “Random” and if you tap it then a random medical fact will appear. Fun reading when you’re bored but exercise caution. You just might find a new medical condition to obsess over. I liked the “History” button because it will give you a list of things you’ve previously viewed.

I’m just constantly impressed with all the things you can put on an iPhone and the Merck Manual: Home Edition is no exception. I’m the type that likes to go into a doctor’s appointment having done some research and love having all this medical information on my itty bitty phone.

Price when Reviewed: $9.99

See the app in iTunes

Seller: Agile Partners, LLC.