I know that most of you work in behavioral health organizations. You probably use the technology that is provided to you even if you know of better tools that would make your work life smoother and easier. After all, the goal is to serve consumers of substance abuse and mental health services, not to the be the coolest technology shop around.
But maybe that is not totally the case. . . . Do you have a favorite technology tool that you love to use in your practice or workplace or at home? Is there something that has become so indispensable that you cannot imagine getting along without it?
I am not a big searcher for new software programs or apps for my Android cell phone or Amazon Fire. I tend to try things that are offered by family or friends, choose the ones that work for me, and then leave well enough alone. If I have chosen well, the updates offered by the company from whom I have purchased the product almost always keep up with and even anticipate my needs. But that is not always the case.
A few years ago, I was considering creating a training video for our electronic claims module. I saw some information about a program named Camtasia Studio, by TechSmith. I liked the description so much that I tried the free demo.
I was in love! This program does everything I need a video-creation tool to do, and it does it simply. I started with Camtasia 4 and am now at version 7.1. Like I said, when I find a tool that works for me, I tend to stick with it.
This is the sort of video you can create with Camtasia.
When I first started doing these movies, I let our web server handle them and just gave the direct link to the file to the customers we wanted to see them. This got the training module into the right hands, but did not make the video available at large.
Now I want to go farther. I want to be able to create videos and to embed them here on my blog or on our web site. Even though I am not an expert video maker, I want to create more of them and get them out there. The more I do, the better I will get at them.
What cool tools do you have that you rely on every day? Is there some program or app that you cannot do without?
Please tell me what you think. Your feedback and comments are always appreciated.
Karl Zahlis says:
I couldn’t live without FastStone Capture. Great for all manner of screen capture and quick annotating.
Kathy says:
We use SnagIt for the same purpose, Karl. I’ll need to take a look at FastStone Capture. It is so helpful to be able to capture something quickly! Thanks for your input.
Ian Cameron says:
RxNT great for electronic prescription. Works on iPhone, iPad, or computer. About $650 a year.
Kathy says:
Hi Dr. Cameron,
Thanks for sharing your experience with these two products. I’m glad to hear they are working so well for you.
And thanks for making your first comment on our blog! Welcome!
Ian Cameron says:
iPhone application eProcrates is great for medication-related issues, including interactions.
Trish says:
I use a little program called Ditto, which is a clipboard manager. It allows you to store multiple items to your clipboard, rather than just one item as is the case with the traditional Windows clipboard. Often, I need to copy to my clipboard several bits of separate info and Ditto allows you to do this. Then when I am ready to paste the item, I am presented with a list of all that is on my clipboard and can scroll to the word or phrase I need in order to paste it. Ditto will store up to I think 25 items. I do a lot of copying and pasting and using Ditto eliminates me from having to go back and forth to a document in order to get all that I need to copy so that I can paste it. I love it and it’s FREE!
Bruce Hyman says:
I little program that I use everyday that I find incredibly helpful is called LastPass. LastPass is an online, password storage vault tool that stores all of your private information such as passwords, credit card information, securely, in the cloud. The coolest thing about it is is that it automatically detects web pages you’ve surfed to that have forms for you to fill out with your personal information- such as when you do an online purchase at a website. LastPass detects the form and automatically fills it out for you. This saves alot of time and eliminates drudgery doing online transactions that involve forms. I’ve used it for over 2 years now without a problem; it’s encryption is top notch.
Kathy says:
Hi Bruce, Thanks for your comment. Some of our staff use LastPass and find it extremely useful. I have used Roboform for the same purpose for several years. I agree that this kind of password storage program is essential! I cannot imaging my daily online activity without it.