MD on Call vs QuickEM
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MD on Call
This app provides quick, practical guidance for physicians, residents, and medical students to manage common on-call issues. It offers concise tips for acute assessment and management, helping users efficiently address patient problems without needing to consult lengthy textbooks.
- Quick assessment and management tips
- Covers 26 frequent on-call situations
- Management of common electrolyte abnormalities
- ECG interpretation with examples
- Guidance on writing medical orders
- Searchable by acronyms and keywords
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"fantastic for a review when rushing to a consult." -- Casey Park MD on Call is already trusted by thousands of physicians, residents and medical students around the world. We’ve been there; At 3 AM, you don’t feel like going through a textbook or a long UpToDate article; you just want to get things done. **************** REVIEWS "If you have ever needed a quick reference to learn on the fly or been stumped by a late night call while cross-covering and you are willing to spend a few dollars to avoid that feeling, you should consider this app." iMedicalApps.com “It has all those handy little things that drug guides and medical references just don’t capture concisely.” “I would pay at least double the cost for this handy little reference.” Dr Jessica Otte, drottematic blog **************** **************** AUDIENCE junior residents, interns and medical students INTRO In medical school, we learn a lot about diseases and the basis for their management. However, we are traditionally less exposed to apparently easy problems like pain, nausea or hypokalemia. Quite often, those issues are brought to the attention of the nursing staff in the evening. At that time, the treating team is away and you're on call, running all over the hospital. MD on Call gives you tips on how to QUICKLY assess and manage (acutely) common problems so you can go on assessing the next patient, or to your room to get some well deserved sleep. -- it is NOT meant to replace a textbook -- FEATURES MD on call is divided into 5 main sections: • Issues • 26 frequent on call situations (including management of some specific conditions) Abdominal Pain* Acute Coronary Syndrome* Agitation / Violence Anaphylaxis Bleeding Bradycardia* Chest Pain Constipation Death (Pronouncing) Decreased LOC Dysuria / UTI* Dyspnea Fever Febrile neutropenia Headache Hypertension Hypotension Insomnia Meningitis Nausea / Vomiting Pain Palliation Pneumonia Seizure Tachycardia Wound Dehiscence Wound Infection • Labs • Common electrolytes abnormalities (including management) Hypo Ca, K, Mg, Na, PO4, glycemia Hyper Ca, K, Na, glycemia • ECG • Normal and abnormal ECG values, now with examples • Misc • Suggestions on how to write orders for admission, "comfort measures only", "on call" notes, OR and procedure notes. Transfusions: general information and common reactions Misc: CSF values, opioid conversion... • Lines and Tubes • How to manage common problems, such as a blocked NG tube. • Search • Search using acronyms or keywords **************** Feedback is more than welcome : visit the website for more details **************** DISCLAIMER This publication (application) is to be used as a guide only. It is intended only for use by licensed medical practitioners and medical students. Every doctor (or prescriber) is responsible for their actions. This guide is not meant to replace clinical judgment. The authors of MD on call make no claims regarding the accuracy of the information contained herein. The authors of this application and its content shall not be liable for any injury and/or damage to persons or property arising from the use of this application. It is the responsible of the licensed prescriber to verify the indications, contraindications and dosage of the medication (and actions) they prescribe.
QuickEM
This emergency medicine reference app provides clinicians with instant access to critical information, including differentials, treatments, and validated medical calculators. It's designed for rapid lookup of ED-specific care, organized by chief complaints and clinical categories, and works completely offline.
- 80+ chief complaint topics
- 90+ medical calculators
- Offline access
- No login or ads
- Adult and pediatric coverage
- Evidence-based content
- Customizable favorites
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The Essential Emergency Medicine Reference Trusted by Clinicians QuickEM is the comprehensive bedside companion designed by emergency physicians for emergency physicians. Whether you're a medical student on your first ED rotation or an attending managing a busy department, QuickEM delivers the critical information you need—instantly. Built for Real Emergency Medicine • Over 80 chief complaint topics with differentials, history, tests, and treatments focused on ED-specific care • Over 90 validated medical calculators / tools • No login required • Zero fluff—only ED-relevant information Organized by How You Think • Chief complaints structured by presentation • Calculators grouped by clinical category • Smart search finds tools • Customizable favorites list for your go-to references Trusted by Every Level • Medical Students: Essential differentials and workup basics • Residents: Quick access to decision rules and scoring systems • Attendings: Rapid reference for less common presentations and 2nd brain refreshers Key Features: • Complete offline access—works without internet • No ads, no subscriptions, no account required • Covers adult and pediatric emergency medicine • Includes trauma protocols and resuscitation guides • Evidence-based content with source citations • Professional medical illustrations and ECG examples Content Highlights: • Cardiovascular: HEART Score, CHADS2-VASc, Wells Criteria • Neurological: NIHSS, Canadian Head CT Rules, HINTS Exam • Trauma: NEXUS, Canadian C-Spine, PECARN • Pediatrics: PEDS Vitals, Croup Score, Bronchiolitis • Toxicology: Rumack-Matthew, CIWA-Ar, Anion Gap • And more! Developed by practicing emergency physicians who understand what you need at 3 AM with multiple critical patients. QuickEM is designed to be the fastest way to look up the info you need. This app is designed exclusively for medical professionals and students. Not intended for patient or public use.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MD on Call at none against QuickEM's 1. MD on Call also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6). QuickEM's advantage is review sentiment (91% vs 78%) and ratings volume (10 vs 1). On price, ads, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
MD on Call costs $9.99 and QuickEM $9.99 up front. QuickEM sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. MD on Call asks for nothing beyond the download.
MD on Call holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: QuickEM has 10 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 78% of MD on Call's written reviews are positive against 91% of QuickEM's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
MD on Call ships an update every 4 months, QuickEM every 2 months. Both last shipped on September 22, 2026.
| Parameter | MD on Call | QuickEM |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | $9.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | 4.6 (10 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 78.1% of reviews | 90.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 10 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #28 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 17 MB | 78 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Messil inc. | Dirkes Medical, PLLC |
Customer experience
MD on Call
QuickEM
Bugs and requests
MD on Call
Reported bugs
3 issues- Incompatible with iPhone X
- Incorrect advice regarding Metaclopramide
- Incorrect TDF to morphine conversion data
Requested features
16 requests- Cover more content
- Update for iPhone X compatibility
- Revise content and references for up-to-date information
- Add more conditions
- Include common diseases and treatments
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- Add an 'edit' function to modify and add vignettes
- Add more clinical scenarios
- Add medicine dose information
- Add drug interaction information
- Include more information with supporting references
- More streamlined interface
- Translate to German
- Translate to French
- Add more topics
- Add more clinical high yields and topics
- Add more futures needed while oncall
QuickEM
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
MD on Call
No in-app purchases
QuickEM
- Premium Features$2.99









