Know meds before you give them...how...

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How do you go about "looking up" a med you aren't familiar with at work? Do you bring along a med book? Use a PDA? The reason I'm asking is because I'm returning to doing inpatient care from working in an office (don't give meds there other than vaccines, really).

How do I keep on time with passing meds? I've had other nurses roll their eyes at me when I went to look up a med. But they didn't know what it was for, either.

I don't want to be "untimely" but I also want to be prepared in case the patient has questions about their meds, OR a med where I'd need to watch for particular s/e's.

Thanks for any advice!!

Emma

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Specializes in LTC Peds - profoundly retarded.

I keep my med-book available. Your duty is to your patients - not the other nurses. As you look your meds up, you'll start to learn them, or at least the classifications of your meds. Some you'll see over and over. So forget the eye-rolling. Keep your book handy and do as you are doing.

sellen1972

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Your unit should always have a drug book available for you to use. If not, they are risking a lot of liability and you need to go to your manager immediately and ask him/her to get a book ASAP. I look up any drug that I am unfamiliar with. If the nurses are rolling their eyes at you - that is their problem not yours. At least you know you won't be killing your patients by giving a drug wrong.

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The computers at work have a drug lookup program we can click on to for info on unfamiliar drugs.

Otherwise a drug handbook is fine to use too.

As a last resort, if the drug is not listed anywhere, call pharmacy.

The longer you work, the more familiar you will become with the most common drugs, and the less looking up you will have to do.

Begin giving meds at the earliest possible time allowed by policy. I start giving my 1000 drugs at 0900, you never know when things will slow you down.

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;)very good habit to get into. my computer at work has a drug reference and if it is not listed, i call pharmacy. a responsible nurse does not do a procedure that she/he is not sure; applies to giving drugs.

you will learn many drugs by looking them up and soon, you will find you are having to look up less and less.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

I have always had a pocket sized drug reference and, now I carry a PDA with pertinent information, including the Davis Drug Guide, Taber's Medical Dictionary and Diseases and Nursing Interventions. If I do not recognize a drug, I look it up before I administer it. Also, since I work at a clinic and have computer access, I look up the unfamiliar drug on line before I call a patient in for counseling. This way, it is a learning experience for me, because anytime I have had to sacrifice time to look up certain things immediately, I tend to remember them. I have also kept the screen up so that I can read about it as I am speaking to the patient for further memory implant for both, me and him.

Usually, what happens is that eventually, within a certain practice, you start to see certain drugs over and over again, so, you start remembering key things about them. Be patient with yourself, but always walk around with a resource. Barnes and Noble sells a pocket sized nursing drug guide that is slim and small, but PACKED with all that you need to know about the drugs. It may be hard to read without glasses if you have visual problems, but it will save your life. And, don't be afraid to say right in front of the patient that you are unfamiliar with all of the indications of a drug, or all of the side effects, and that you have to look it up to give them accurate information. You have to protect YOUR license that you worked so hard to obtain. And, they have the right to know.

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Specializes in CICU.

Good for you for wanting to be safe and professional. I have worked with nurses with big egos how are too embarrassed to use a drug guide. I have been a nurse for 11 years now, mostly in critical care and I still keep reference books with me on shift. I work at a teaching hospital and on more than one occasion I have had residents ask if they can use my references, often times with a panic stricken look on their faces and an impatient looking attending on their heels!

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How do you go about "looking up" a med you aren't familiar with at work? Do you bring along a med book? Use a PDA? The reason I'm asking is because I'm returning to doing inpatient care from working in an office (don't give meds there other than vaccines, really).

How do I keep on time with passing meds? I've had other nurses roll their eyes at me when I went to look up a med. But they didn't know what it was for, either.

I don't want to be "untimely" but I also want to be prepared in case the patient has questions about their meds, OR a med where I'd need to watch for particular s/e's.

Thanks for any advice!!

Emma

Look it up it takes seconds most of the time. I do not have a pda but always have my own med book if my facility does not furnish us with up to date ones.

Not only look it up but ask yourself why is this patient getting this drug. If you can not answer it yourself find out the answer before you give it. It could just be a drug error waiting for you to make.

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Specializes in ICU, Psych.

Quote from OP:

"How do I keep on time with passing meds? I've had other nurses roll their eyes at me when I went to look up a med. But they didn't know what it was for, either."

I have to roll my eyes at any nurse who would theirs at someone looking up a med. I would never even think of giving anything without knowing what it is and does.

Sounds like you are doing the right thing, keep up the good work and always take the time you need to practice safely, regardless of any and all pressure from others.

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Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.

I call pharmacy or do a search on the internet. I really couldnt care less what other nurses think of me for not knowing a drug, because to be truthful=nobody knows everything. Even the Doc's phone pharmacy or look drugs up on line

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Specializes in Acute Care Cardiac, Education, Prof Practice.

I keep an up-to-date drug book on my unit (yep I paid the 40 bucks for it and everyone loves to use it). If it isn't clear in the book, I call the pharmacist.

Anyone who would roll thier eyes at someone who takes a little extra time to keep thier patient safe isn't somone I would want pushing anything into my veins.

Tait

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Specializes in Emergency.

I also use Davis Drug Guide on my PDA, and it is fabulous! You can look up the drug, pregnancy category, side effects, price, pharmacokinetics, dose, and the correct way to administer meds (ie IVP over 2 minutes), etc.

I'll be looking up a med along with a doc, and often they cannot find the answer in their PDA - they are amazed that I *almost* always find the answer in my PDA. It is fabulous, and working in a busy ED, a great timesaver and assures that I am administering medications correctly. It is my lifeline! You can also update it, and I am able to implement current med administration guidelines rather than using a book that is more than a year old.

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