Comparison

Emergency Manual vs ShockRef

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Emergency Manual

This free medical app provides cognitive aids and checklists for 25 critical perioperative events. It serves as a drug dosing reference and includes crisis management tips for clinicians. Designed for self-study and real-time use during emergencies.

Highlights
  • Cognitive aids for 25 critical perioperative events
  • Checklists for emergencies
  • Drug dosing and concentration reference
  • Crisis resource management tips
  • Suitable for self-study
  • Real-time cognitive aid during crises
Features
Read full description

Despite best intentions, well-trained clinicians often miss known key steps during crises. This free perioperative Emergency Manual by the Stanford Anesthesia Cognitive Aid Program (SACAP) includes a set of cognitive aids and checklists for 25 critical perioperative events including cardiac arrest, bronchospasm, LAST, malignant hyperthermia, unanticipated difficult airway, and the rest of the key perioperative chief complaints. It includes crisis resource management tips, and serves as a drug dosing and concentration reference for relevant medications. The app can be used for self-study, and most importantly, as a cognitive aid during perioperative crises. The Emergency Manual has been used by thousands of anesthesiologists around the world, and is now available on the iPhone! Disclaimers: The material in this app is not intended to be a substitute for sound medical knowledge and training. Clinicians should always use their clinical judgment and decision making for patient management. Departure from the information presented here is encouraged as appropriate, since situations can vary widely.

About

ShockRef

A clinical reference for managing shock and hemodynamics, offering insights into bedside physiology, resuscitation, and mechanical circulatory support. It includes practical calculators and drug references for critical care professionals and students.

Highlights
  • Shock phenotyping
  • Resuscitation workflows
  • Vasoactive drug references
  • Mechanical circulatory support troubleshooting
  • Physiology-based critical care
  • Practical calculators
Features
Read full description

ShockRef is a focused educational reference for clinicians and learners managing shock, hemodynamics, vasoactive therapy, and temporary mechanical circulatory support. It integrates bedside physiology, shock phenotyping, resuscitation workflows, monitoring pitfalls, drug references, MCS troubleshooting, source citations, and practical calculators for structured, physiology-based critical care. This app is intended for educational and informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, and never disregard or delay seeking professional advice because of information provided by this app. About Rishi Kumar, MD, FACC ("RK.MD") I'm an adult cardiothoracic anesthesiologist and cardiovascular ICU intensivist practicing in academic medicine. I'm passionate about teaching with free, open-access medical education. Learn more on my site: https://rk.md

Screenshots

Emergency Manual4 screens
ShockRef4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Emergency Manual at 12 against ShockRef's 3. Emergency Manual also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Emergency Manual against 5.0 for ShockRef. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 12 and 3 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Emergency Manual versus ShockRef: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEmergency ManualShockRef
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (12 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings12 — better3
Update frequency—Every 4 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB15 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperRobert ArrigoRishi Kumar

Customer experience

Emergency Manual

All ratings12 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

ShockRef

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Emergency Manual

No in-app purchases

None

ShockRef

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Emergency Manual free?
Emergency Manual is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ShockRef free?
ShockRef is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Emergency Manual or ShockRef?
Emergency Manual and ShockRef are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 12 and 3 ratings respectively.
Do Emergency Manual or ShockRef have ads?
Neither Emergency Manual nor ShockRef shows ads.

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