Comparison
Four ways to keep an ACGME case log, read side by side.
The choice is usually between the official site, an app, and a spreadsheet. This page sets out what each one does about speed, counting, privacy, and getting the record back out.
Side by side
| Capability | CapnologA phone logger that counts against the ACGME categories. Free to log and export. | The ACGME Case Log site and appThe system of record. You sign in, and what you enter is submitted there. | Other case-log appsA category, not one product. What each does varies by app; read its privacy policy. | A spreadsheet or notes appWhatever you build in it, often on a laptop, and often at the end of the week. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Log a case from your phone in seconds | Yes. Tap, speak, or type — under ten seconds, between rooms. | Partly. The site and the app take one case at a time, after a sign-in. | Varies. Some are phone-first; the fields and the speed vary by app. | Partly. A row to type, usually on a laptop, usually later. |
| Every ACGME category counted, nested ones included | Yes. One case counts everywhere it belongs, including inside its parent category. | Yes. The categories are its own, and it reports against them. | Varies. Some count categories; how nested ones are handled varies. | No. Formulas you write, and then maintain all year. |
| The minimum and the national average, side by side | Yes. Two lines per category, taken from the ACGME's own published report. | Partly. Published nationally, not next to your own count. | Varies. Some track a minimum; whether an average sits beside it varies. | No. Two numbers you would keep by hand. |
| Spoken case detail parsed on the phone | Yes. Voice parses on-device. The words you say about a patient never leave the phone. | No. There is no dictation; you fill the form yourself. | Varies. Some parse dictation with a cloud service; read the privacy policy. | No. A sheet takes no dictation of its own. |
| Fills the ACGME Case Log form, and never submits | Yes. A Chrome extension fills the fields; you check them and press Submit yourself. Premium, free during the beta. | No. It is the form you are filling in. | Varies. Some offer a browser helper; what it does at the button varies by app. | No. Every case re-keyed by hand. |
| An export you keep | Yes. Your own data out as a CSV, free, where your specialty module supports it. | Yes. Your submitted cases live there, and you can sign in to them. | Varies. Whether you can take your data out, and in what format, varies by app. | Yes. The file is already yours. |
| Free to log | Yes. Logging and export are free, for as long as Capnolog exists. | Yes. Nothing for a resident to buy. | Varies. Some are free and some are a subscription; pricing varies. | Partly. Often already licensed by your hospital or school. |
| No patient identifiers collected | Yes. Capnolog does not collect names, MRNs, or birthdays. Case data is encrypted on your device. | Yes. De-identified by design. | Varies. What a form lets you type varies by app; read its privacy policy. | No. A sheet holds whatever gets typed into it. |
| More than one specialty | Partly. Two modules ship today (anesthesia and neurosurgery); nine more are in build. | Yes. Every specialty that logs there. | Varies. Coverage varies by app; some are built for one specialty. | Yes. A sheet does not care what you type in it. |
| A backup you control | Yes. Backups are encrypted and stored in your own iCloud. Restore them on a new device. | Yes. It is the system of record; the submitted record stays there. | Varies. Where a backup lives, and who holds the key, varies by app. | Partly. As safe as the drive it sits on. |
What the marks mean
- Yes
- Partly
- No
- Varies— depends on the product
What to check before you choose
Where the spoken case goes
If a tool takes dictation, ask whether it is parsed on the device or sent to a service, and read the privacy policy before you say a case into it.
Whether nested categories count
A total can look healthy while a subcategory sits at zero, so check that a case is counted everywhere it belongs rather than only once.
Which target is shown
Some tools show only the required minimum. The national average is often far above it, and the gap between the two is the number worth knowing.
What happens at the Submit button
The ACGME record is yours to attest to. Ask what a tool does when the form is full, and confirm that a person still presses Submit.
Whether the data comes back out
Check the export format, what it costs, and whether it covers every case rather than a summary. The answer varies by app.
What it holds about a patient
Check what a tool collects about a patient, and what it does with free text you type, before you start filling it in.
Where it lives after graduation
Ask where the record sits once your training account closes, who holds the backup, and what it costs to keep reading it.
Where Capnolog stands
- iPhone only, and in private betaIn private beta
Capnolog runs on iPhone. There is no Android app and no web app, and the beta is invite-only on TestFlight.
- Logging and export are freeAvailable
Every category, every published minimum, and the whole capture flow cost nothing, for as long as Capnolog exists. Export is a CSV, where your specialty module supports it.
- The layers on top are PremiumIn private beta
Case planning, notes and templates beyond the free allowance, ACGME Case Log form fill, and calendar schedule import are Premium — free during the beta, with launch pricing to be announced.
- The form fill runs in ChromeAvailable
The extension runs in Chrome and Edge, on a computer, one case at a time. It fills the fields and stops there; you review every one and press Submit.
- Two specialty modules ship todayAvailable
Capnolog counts against anesthesia and neurosurgery today. The other nine specialties have a page describing what is being built, and nothing more.
Join the free beta
Capnolog is in private beta on TestFlight. Logging and reading your own progress are free and stay free.