How often do you replace your Drug Guide Handbook?

[EvelynRN-BSN]

I was wondering if you should replace you drug handbook every year since a new one is published every year. How often should you replace you drug guide handbook? How often do you replace it?

[KacyLynnRN]

I get a new drug book about every 3 years. Where I work, we have something on our intranet called carenotes, they are like patient education topics, and I can look up any med there if it's not in my drug book...and, when in doubt and you can't find the drug anywhere, you can always call the pharmacist!! :)

[melpn]

Yearly;I like the NDH (Nsg 2004) Handbooks.They are ~$40, tax deductable. There are so many new meds out there it's crazy not to have the newest info. They also have updates available online for new meds, indications and warnings and you can choose to be notifiied via email as they become available.

[dedjim]

I get a new drug book about every 3 years. Where I work, we have something on our intranet called carenotes, they are like patient education topics, and I can look up any med there if it's not in my drug book...and, when in doubt and you can't find the drug anywhere, you can always call the pharmacist!! :)

Yep Carenotes is a good app. The only thing is that you have to interrupt what you are doing, sit down, log on, navigate to CareNotes then search for the med. I like whipping out the PDA while I'm standing in front of the Pyxis, waiting for it to open the drawer and in 3 or 4 stylus taps I'm reading the information I want. Gotta love it.

[SharkLPN]

My hospital supplies nursing drug guides, their own published formulary, and PDRs yearly. 90 percent of them, (except the PDR which due to size is usually abandoned in a back room) mysteriously disappear once nursing students and residents hit the floor, as my director doesn't chain them to the med cart like the savvy floors do.

But we also have MicroMedex on our intranet, and plenty of phones around to make calls to the pharmacist. We figure if they get weary of answering our med questions and complain, the boss will find a way to keep our drug books from walking away.

[jnette, ASN, EMT-I]

Yearly;I like the NDH (Nsg 2004) Handbooks.They are ~$40, tax deductable. There are so many new meds out there it's crazy not to have the newest info. They also have updates available online for new meds, indications and warnings and you can choose to be notifiied via email as they become available.

Just got this one yesterday.. 2005 version. Hadn't replaced mine since 2000... although we have newer ones at work. I do like having my own at home, however, so I got this one.

I like the idea of having a new updated version at work annually and making a copy of the CD for home use. :)

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

Every year.

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Just got NDH 2005 yesterday--update yearly as Homecare RN's don't have pharmacist at our fingertips.

[Agnus]

At first every other year. Now annually and they really get out dated sooner than that, the way drug companies are pumping out new drugs.