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Available Platforms:
  • Palm
  • PocketPC
  • BlackBerry

Author Info
The IDdx database is written by Jay A. Brown, MD, MPH, author of the Haz-Map and OutbreakIDŽ databases. For more information visit www.iddx.info.

IDdx

IDdx is a decision support software tool developed by the author of OutbreakID, Dr. Jay Brown. This software is designed to help medical practitioners access information and improve the diagnosis of infectious diseases. The content covers more than 275 communicable diseases indexed by categories. The advantage of IDdx mobile software over a book is that it was built for queries. Users can find specific information by using the disease search criteria, which contains 119 signs & symptoms, 39 epidemiological factors, and covers 16 regions of the world. The user can see all the symptoms associated with a disease or see all the diseases associated with a symptom.

What is it?

  • IDdx is a decision-support software tool developed as a relational database in Microsoft Access.
  • IDdx is similar in design to Haz-Map and OutbreakID, created by the same author.
  • Scattered information was collected, distilled, and classified in a comprehensive and systematic way.
  • All information was indexed using categories and a vocabulary that is structured and unambiguous.
  • The system was designed to help medical practitioners to access information and improve the diagnosis of infectious diseases.

What is the content?

  • Similar to the Control of Communicable Diseases Manual, the content includes coverage of 202 important infectious diseases organized into the following categories: arthropod-borne, bioterrorism, childhood, community-acquired, foodborne, gastroenteritis, sapronoses, sexually-transmitted, and zoonoses.
  • In addition, there are 73 infectious diseases in the category "Localized Infections."
  • Examples of localized infections are bronchitis, cellulitis, and liver abscess.
  • The user can query all 275 communicable diseases (all categories) or limit the query to one category or to all categories except localized infections.

What is its advantage over books like Control of Communicable Diseases Manual?

  • IDdx was built for queries.
  • Queries result in one or more diseases that match one or more search criteria.
  • Search criteria include 119 signs & symptoms, 39 epidemiological factors, and 16 regions of the world.
  • Queries help users to "zoom-in" to the differential diagnoses.
  • All information is bi-directional, i.e., the user can see all the symptoms associated with a disease or see all diseases associated with a symptom.
  • The same structured vocabulary is used both to display information about a disease and to query the database.

What is shown in each of the 275 infections disease profiles?

  • Each disease profile shows initial symptoms, incubation period, common findings, endemic areas, laboratory diagnostics, and unique epidemiological factors (entry, source, vector, and reservoir).
  • Each fact is cited with a reference to the scientific literature.

What can you do with IDdx?

  • Explore the database of 275 diseases in 15 categories.
  • Search by Disease Name or Disease Criteria.
  • Disease criteria include 119 signs & symptoms, 39 epidemiological factors, and 16 regions of the world.
  • Examples of epidemiological factors are ingest (entry), soil (source), ticks (vector), and cats (reservoir).
  • Access diseases worldwide or limit the search to those endemic to the United States.
  • Drill down to all infections associated with compromised hosts or bioterrorism.
  • Filter the database for infections tagged as acute-severe, acute-moderate, or subacute/chronic.

What are some strategies and pitfalls in querying the IDdx database?

  • Think of "zoom-intersection" instead of making a shopping list of symptoms. An "AND" query is the same as two intersecting circles in a Venn diagram. You are trying to zoom-in to a differential diagnosis that fits the unique criteria for this case. Common symptoms shared by most infectious diseases, e.g., fever and fatigue, are not very helpful in limiting the differential diagnosis. Are there any unique criteria in this case like eosinophilia, pleural effusions, or petechiae? Are there any epidemiological factors that you can add from the history of this patient? If the patient lives in the United States and has not traveled, limit your query to diseases endemic to North America (assuming that you are not considering a bioterrorism event).
  • If your query gives you a long differential diagnosis, you may need to scroll to the end of the list. For example, the criteria of fever, fatigue, and pharyngitis results in 25 diseases. The diseases are listed in alphabetical order.
  • You may limit the results by selecting in the Acuity drop-down list one of the following: acute-severe, acute-moderate, or subacute/chronic. Be aware that these categories overlap, and diseases may present in different ways. For example, while tuberculosis is classified as subacute/chronic, it may sometimes present as either a acute-severe (emergency admission), or acute-moderate (recent onset of symptoms treated in a clinic).
  • Clear all criteria before each new query. There is a "Clear" button at the bottom of the screen, and this should be clicked before starting a new query. For example, if you search by a category other that "Category (All)," then this will filter the database for any subsequent queries until it is cleared or changed to Category (All). If the category picked is Zoonoses, then your query result will not include any diseases in other categories. When the category Zoonoses is picked, then a query with the criteria of fever, fatigue, and pharyngitis will give you only 5 diseases in the differential diagnosis.



 

Includes a 12 Month Subscription of Automatic Updates:

A 12 month Subscription entitles you to 12 months of automatic content and application updates. When the program is installed to your PDA, simply synchronize your PDA with your computer while connected to the internet to receive the latest updates. You can still use the application after the 12 month subscription expires, but you will no longer receive updates.

PC requirements:

- Windows 98/NT/2000/XP with 128MB Ram
- Free space on hard drive: 22MB for PocketPC, 7MB for PalmOS, or 8MB for BlackBerry
- Palm Desktop 4.1.4 or greater (if using Palm)
- Microsoft ActiveSync 4.0 or greater (if using PocketPC)
- BlackBerry Desktop Manager 4.2.2 or higher (4.7 recommended)

Palm PDA requirements:

- Palm OS 3.5.3 or greater
- 1.8MB of available memory

PocketPC PDA requirements:

- Windows CE 3.0/Windows Mobile 2000 or greater
- 7MB of available memory ( free space on main memory may still be needed when installed to memory card* )
- Only devices with touch screens are supported

BlackBerry PDA requirements:

- BlackBerry OS 4.1 or greater
- 1.5MB of available main memory

*all VFS compliant memory cards and memory sticks are compatible with Windows Mobile and Palm OS devices. Memory cards are not supported with BlackBerry devices.