Appropriate use in the cath lab? Theres an app for that

The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) has released the SCAI Quality Improvement Toolkit (SCAI-QIT) AUC and Guidelines App, a mobile application (app) that seeks to help interventional cardiologists determine whether their patients are appropriate for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).  

“The new app is a calculator tool that makes it simple to access the AUC on heart revascularization without having to carry around printed documents,” said the app’s architect Kalon K.L. Ho, MD, director of quality assurance for the cardiovascular division of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. “While we don’t intend for this tool to replace clinical judgment, we do hope it provides easier access to information that can guide the cath lab team’s decisions.”

This AUC and guidelines app can be used on smartphones, tablets and PCs. To go beyond scoring A, U or I (for appropriate, uncertain or inappropriate), SCAI said the app:

• Provides both the AUC Score (1-9) and indication number for documentation because "an appropriate indication with a score of 7 is very different from an appropriate indication with a score of 9," noted the society.
• Allows users to download and print a patient-specific data reporting sheet to place in the patient's chart. It reports the indication number and score, as well as the patient's clinical summary.

In coming months, SCAI will seek to expand the app with new modules to help providers access interventional cardiology guidelines and additional AUC, including those for diagnostic cardiac catheterization. Plans also are underway for the app to include options for interfacing with EHRs, further assisting providers with documentation.                 

The new AUC Calculator app can be accessed for free at www.SCAI-QIT.org.