New technology, from medical imaging devices to mobile apps, is rampant in emergency medicine. Jason Wagner, MD, FACEP, emergency physician and self-proclaimed geek, is ready to help others navigate the new technology most applicable to their practices.

Dr. Wagner, emergency medicine residency program director at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, estimated that between 75 and 80 percent of emergency physicians do not have the time or the desire to investigate the latest apps. “[Physicians] don’t want to spend their days teasing through 10 apps to find the one that works for them,” he said.

To save his colleagues time, Dr. Wagner will present “There’s An App for That: Handheld Devices and Applications That You Should Know About,” during which he will discuss applications for handheld devices and desktops pertinent to emergency physicians’medical practice, along with apps to improve their personal productivity, organization, and lifestyle.

One example of a medical app that Dr. Wagner uses is Pedi Safe, which substitutes for a Broselow tape. “It’s great for someone like me,” he said. “I’m mostly in adult medicine, so when I get a kid, it’s really nice to be able to pull out my device and have access to all of the resuscitation information I need in a really easy-to-use format.”

Although his presentation will be about current apps, the announcement of the Apple Watch has Dr. Wagner looking toward the future of medical technology and patient interaction.

“We’re going to start having patients come in with their watch and their data log from the last two weeks of their blood pressure, glucose, and their walking activity,” he said. “It’ll be interesting to see, from a patient standpoint, in the next five years or so how much information they can bring to us instead of us having to just guess.”

Francesca Baratta is a freelance writer based in New Jersey.