Anyone Using E Mars At Work?

Sardonica · Jan 27, 2003

We have been using E-MARs for about two years, and it is the duty for us on the Night Shift to check them and initial aside the medication.....and place them in the med-books.

We had a lot of reservations before this came, but like most thing, you get used to it and it becomes easy.

There are a few draw backs......our system has one page for sheduled Rx, another page for PRN Rx, another page for IV's.....

but has yet to understand that IV's can be scheduled and/or PRN,

so we also have another (4th) page that has the gtts, PCA,

epidurals, and other drips. You find yourself with a lot of paper to use......daily.....your books and charts fill up fast.....and I often find errors.....which have to be faxed to pharmacy along with the discontinued medications.....extra work, and yet......every nurse who uses the books is just as responsible to check the med as the one who signs it......(no surprise there)....Also, you will find that the system will automatically assign scheduled times for eveything according to the table you use.....Now you must make your doctors assign times to medications as well, should your first dose of IV atb be given at 16:00, it will come up on your E-MAR as 09-21 if it is BID......

All these things will become easier once you are familiar with the lay out of the medications, and accept the annoying truth.

Best of luck!

~Sardonica:cool:

P_RN, ADN, RN · Jan 27, 2003

Hey Sardonica, nice to see you here!!!!

By E MAR do you mean daily MAR printouts sent up by the pharmacy? We started those about 10-12 years ago. The first thing they made sure of is that the hospital requires certain specific times. 9-1-5-9, 12-6-12-6 etc.

Our floor pharmacist (PharmD)also assured us that moving the adm time of antibiotics a few hours one way or the other was perfectly OK and was IN the policy.

All IVs and PRN meds were included right in line with the routines.

Routines had policy times.

Each night the nurse assigned that team went over the new MAR correcting it and sending down an exception sheet.

For epidurals (they only stayed in aobut 18 hours max) we had a separate sheet (made up by yours truly) and OKd by the committee. Most of our epidurals were standard mix, with standard prns. There was a line for alternates and the copy was placed in the MAR. A photocopy was sent to pharmacy.

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Jan 27, 2003

Sardonica,

LOL, it's me. NightNurseChristina!

I couldn't use that name here, since NightNurse is already taken!

Fancy running into you here.

=0)

P_RN, ADN, RN · Jan 27, 2003

Hey NNChristina!!! Good seeing you here too.

P

FullMoonMadness · Jan 27, 2003

The Emar is a barcode scanner .all meds will have a barcode on the unit dose. as I undestand it,when the orders are in the computer to pharmacy,they are assigned to the pt admitting id number. all meds and mar are taken to bedside. arm band is scanned and the the med is scanned,this for each individual med.So now in addition to my normal stuff in pockets and my cell phone.I will have a barcode scanner in my pocket. Im sure there must be some benefit to this system as it sounds very expensive to implement,but it sounds bulky and very time consuming. Just wondering if ant one else has any experience with it.

KaroSnowQueen, RN · Jan 28, 2003

I have heard of this. The VA hospital in my area has it, but we do not. Presumably it cuts down on med errors because presumably it knows who has what ordreed????? Don't know anyone personally who has used it.

Sardonica · Jan 29, 2003

In my world, EMAR = Electronic Medication Administration Record,

and they are faxed to every unit in the hospital for every patient, and any new patients and/or orders must be faxed to the pharmacy for pyxis access and for the next printing.......

They are for 24 hours only and there are three columns for the three shifts to initial after the time......

also another glitch.....the program has difficulty recognizing the

various routes and dose ranges......occasionally, they will add some useful info, and they also state non-ordered info.....example, if you have an order for tylox.....it will state that you cannot exceed 4 G's of APAP in a 24 hour period.....even if the MD's have not written this.......and then, for other Rx, there is nothing noted that I would think may be more important!

Thanx for the welcome .....who's the P_RN????? And I know you NNChristina!

~S:cool:

P_RN, ADN, RN · Jan 30, 2003

P_RN=Scpck :)