Have you used Accuscan?

[snowchaser1]

I've been using a palm pilot-type medication charting system for the last two months. It is called Accuscan and the med machine is Accudose. Has anyone used this system anywhere else and how do you like it? I, personally, do not like it because I feel it wastes a lot of time. The worst part of using it I think is checking off new med orders. Ugh! Any comments?

[suzanne4, RN]

Sorry, but I love the system and wish more facilities used it. It is a much safer way of adminsitering medication, and once you get the hang of it, it actually makes delivery time faster, etc.

The Accuscan can be used with even a simple unit dose system. I love it.

And trust me, I have seen about every type of program that they have come up with thru the years and this is my absolute favorite. Not sure how much experience that you have.

[snowchaser1]

Sorry, but I love the system and wish more facilities used it. It is a much safer way of adminsitering medication, and once you get the hang of it, it actually makes delivery time faster, etc.

The Accuscan can be used with even a simple unit dose system. I love it.

And trust me, I have seen about every type of program that they have come up with thru the years and this is my absolute favorite. Not sure how much experience that you have.

Thanks for your feedback! I have been a nurse 12 years, but this is my first experience with a palm pilot system. I can understand the safety features, but am still new at using it. I hope I get better at it instead of more leary of it. I think it is really new to hospitals. Is this your understanging?

[VickyRN, MSN, DNP, RN]

I felt intrigued and gathered a little more information on Accuscan from the net. Our area teaching hospital plans to utilize this system (or one comparable) soon:

Accuscan medication delivery system uses a palm-pilot barcode reader that can confirm that the right medications are administered to the right patients in the right order. Their point-of-use cabinets complete the system. With the Accuscan system, medication orders filled by the pharmacy are placed in bar-coded, sealed blister packs. Nurses use the small hand-held device to scan the bar code on the patient's ID badge, the bar code on the medication packaging, and the patient's chart. Accuscan then automatically checks the medication against the computerized order to make sure it correctly matches, then records the dose for patient and hospital records. The point-of-use technology hopes to greatly reduce medication errors.

http://www.mmaonline.net/publications/MNMed2004/April/Emerson.html

http://www.mistakeproofing.com/medical/Medical_Examples/medical_examples.html

http://www.childrenscentralcal.org/Portal2.asp?ID=311

[outlierrn]

Depends on where you work. When I was in PICU I liked it, it was very helpful in keeping 30 doses per shift organized. OTOH, in the ER it would suck, things are changing too rapidly,

Larry

[janders2003]

I did use accuscan in my clinicals, and thought it was neat once I got used to it. The accudose machine however I dont trust. Has anyone else had problems when running the accudose report where it comes up unauthorized pocket opened, when it was not??? I hear a sensor problem can cause it but my supervisor has not gotton to the bottome of it yet. Would love to hear if anyone has heard of similar circumstances with the accudose machine. Any insight anyone???

[rpbear]

We use acuscan where I work. I work L&D and we don't use it, things change to fast, ER also does not use it but the mother baby unit and maternal special care use it and I too like it and think it is a very user friendly system. As far as checking the orders it is easier and safer than the paper system, pharmacy is responsible for entering the orders into acuscan so it just ads one more layer of pt safety.

[vamedic4, EMT-P]

They used Accuscan for years here at my facility but within the last year or so switched to CareMobile, another similar device.