Do You Use a PDA On the Job?

[bigwavedave]

My wife is about to graduate from Nursing School this May and hopefully I will be starting my Nursing education this fall. One evening she came home from clinicals and told me that the nurses on the floor where she was at the time all had PDA's and used them to look up drugs rather than the PDR. I have done some looking around on the internet and priced a few options that are out there, and I have also found a couple of sites where you can actually get the drug info. My question is...does anyone currently use a PDA that has drug information stored on it? If so, how accurate, reliable is the info and where did you get the info (internet, software package, etc.) I am thinking about getting my wife one for graduation and getting me one for school. Thanks!

[justanurse]

I've got one and keep it in my pocket. There are lots of things you can get on them. Lots of good things if you are willing to pay the money for the programs. I'm a cheapo, for the most part. Everything I have on mine are freebies. The drug book on mine I saw on the Medscape website, it's EPocrates. Very good and thorough program. Pretty good size. It has lots of information and is updated pretty frequently. And it's FREE.

There are some handy little programs that come in handy when you're in a hurry, like drug calculators, abg decoders, etc. Also fun to play with sometimes.

[RoaminHankRN]

As a house supervisor, my PDA comes in handy. Keep important numbers, contacts, notes and policies. There is a big book that the other supervisors carry around. I've taken what is commonly used and put it in the PDA. A lot easier to carry. In addition to keep track of meetings and my work schedule, there are cool games for downtime. It's a great tool.

A couple of sites to look into...

http://www.emsguides.com/

Check out the ems guide for the Palm.

http://www.tarasconpublishing.com/store/palm.asp

http://www.epocrates.com/

[mattcastens]

I love my Handspring Visor! I have EPocrates on it, which I find absolutely valuable in so many situations. It saves me from having to search for a drug book, warns of potential interactions between meds, and has very helpful tables and resources (updated ACLS algorhythms!).

The other program I have is the handheld version of the "Critical Care Checkmate" book that nurses in my unit love to carry. It's actually the Critical Care, Trauma, and Pediatric books combined. It takes a little getting used to, but I find it a handy resource -- especially for IV compatability, and for the patient populations I don't work with very often (Peds and Trauma). This program can be found at http://www.nnccusa.com.

[Mary Dover]

Your wife will love you for it. My husband bought me a Handspring Visor for Christmas (the little sweetie). I downloaded ePocrates as well (for free), and several other things that I find invaluable at work and home (including a ledger that helps me keep track of our finances - especially when out shopping and using the check/debit card). A worthwhile investment.

Mary