iTriage, a free iPhone app developed by Healthagen, achieves what few medical apps do: It's appropriate for care providers and patients alike.

While primarily geared toward patient self diagnosis prior to a physician visit, iTriage offers much more. In addition to large amounts of medical information, iTriage has a 911 function for iPhone users.

From a patient perspective, it's easy to find specific symptoms with the alphabetical list provided. The list includes hundreds of symptoms from basic chest pain to confusion and hallucinations. By clicking on the symptoms, the app provides possible causes (disorders/diseases), descriptions and treatments.

From the physician perspective, this app could be a very helpful CDS tool. During a patient visit, physicians could use the app to explain medical procedures or brainstorm possible causes of patient discomfort.

The "Find a Provider" function is also a great addition to this app. It's easy to use, requiring only a zip code to locate providers in a specific area. Once a provider is selected, iTriage provides a phone number, address and directions on how to get there.