PDA's and the ICU

ccrnjen · May 3, 2006

I love my PDA. However, do not feel it is a necessity for working in ICU - Just handy to have, if you have the right programs. I use my med-calc program most, but also refer to several of the reference materials I have loaded. Sometimes it's just as easy to grab a book or get on the internet though....

mgchat76 · May 4, 2006

I just bought a PDA in January, and have been enjoying it at work since. It's great to have a drug guide, critical care reference (fastfacts), and diagnostic test reference without carrying all the books separately. It's also nice to have a game or two loaded for those slow nights when the clock doesn't seem to move. If I had to buy one again, I'd probably invest in a cell phone/PDA combo rather than have both separately.

ICURN_NC · May 6, 2006

I tried (in school) to use 2 different PDA's and I loved the idea... but it never worked well for me in practice. I'm pretty tech savvy, had all the lastest programs, etc... but all these other things got in the way.

(Ok, you're going to think I'm really weird. ) Like, I was completely paranoid of getting some germs on the PDA. As in, remove gloves, wash hands, look up info, wash hands again, etc. Grabbing my med book after shedding gloves and using some alcohol foam doesn't bother me at all. Also, I don't mind leaving my books at my work area, but my PDA was too cumbersome to leave in my pocket and yet I was petrified someone would take it if I left it @ my work area. (Somebody wants to steal my germ-infected, dog eared med book? go ahead... lol) So I'd go through all these machinations to hide the PDA or put it away.

Then I'd forget to recharge it, and the batteries would die when I was looking crap up. ..... :scrying: Some days I'd forget it all together, since I can't leave it in my locker (what if someone steals it?? I can't recharge it in my locker?!?! ahhhh! :uhoh21:).

So, while I love gadgets and such, the trouble/anxiety I had just to use my PDA outweighed how much use I actually got out of it.

Whew. I may need some therapy.

Good luck!

Mags4711, RN · May 6, 2006

I tried (in school) to use 2 different PDA's and I loved the idea... but it never worked well for me in practice. I'm pretty tech savvy, had all the lastest programs, etc... but all these other things got in the way.
(Ok, you're going to think I'm really weird. ) Like, I was completely paranoid of getting some germs on the PDA. As in, remove gloves, wash hands, look up info, wash hands again, etc. Grabbing my med book after shedding gloves and using some alcohol foam doesn't bother me at all. Also, I don't mind leaving my books at my work area, but my PDA was too cumbersome to leave in my pocket and yet I was petrified someone would take it if I left it @ my work area. (Somebody wants to steal my germ-infected, dog eared med book? go ahead... lol) So I'd go through all these machinations to hide the PDA or put it away.
Then I'd forget to recharge it, and the batteries would die when I was looking crap up. ..... Some days I'd forget it all together, since I can't leave it in my locker (what if someone steals it?? I can't recharge it in my locker?!?! ahhhh! :uhoh21:).
So, while I love gadgets and such, the trouble/anxiety I had just to use my PDA outweighed how much use I actually got out of it.
Whew. I may need some therapy.
Good luck!

Your post hit the nail on the head as to why I will NEVER use a PDA at work.

I guess I am also a germophobe and worried about having someone take it if I set it down. In 14 yrs of nursing, I have seen too many nasty bugs out there, and how quickly they spread. And there is no way to effectively clean a PDA without risking it's case or screen.

I too am quite tech-savvy, but find that I can just as easily open a reference book or jump on the net, or ask a colleague.

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · May 11, 2006

I was pretty against using my PDA for fear of it growing legs and wandering off. But, my prceptor used his and had all the doctors phone numbers in it, and all of the other important numbers. It turned out to save us lots of time because we could just look the numbers up and then call, instead of hunting the lists of phone numbers down. Plus, anytime he had their private number, he would enter it and keep it forever.

Hoozdo, ADN · May 11, 2006

I am a new grad and starting my orientation in the MICU at the end of the month. I am curious as to how many critical care nurses out there use a PDA while working and if so, how beneficial is it to your practice. Thanks.

I am a December grad just finishing up my orientation in MICU. I use my PDA daily, (I bought it as a graduation gift to myself). The most frequent program I use is IVMEDS to check compatabilites of IV drugs. For example which antibiotics can you reuse the piggy back lines for. Where can I inject some Morphine if a patient has several drips going on at the same time. What kind of tubing and/or filter do I need for what kind of drips.

I don't have a problem with keeping it in my scrubs pocket the whole shift. A couple of times the battery ran out, but that is my own fault for not recharging it. I REALLY miss my PDA when the battery is dead. :roll

Rivs · May 12, 2006

I am a December grad just finishing up my orientation in MICU. I use my PDA daily, (I bought it as a graduation gift to myself). The most frequent program I use is IVMEDS to check compatabilites of IV drugs. For example which antibiotics can you reuse the piggy back lines for. Where can I inject some Morphine if a patient has several drips going on at the same time. What kind of tubing and/or filter do I need for what kind of drips.
I don't have a problem with keeping it in my scrubs pocket the whole shift. A couple of times the battery ran out, but that is my own fault for not recharging it. I REALLY miss my PDA when the battery is dead. :roll

What programs do have loaded?

Ruby Vee, BSN · May 13, 2006

i love my pda and carry it with me at work -- in the pocket of my warm-up jacket. sometimes the jacket gets left on the back of a chair in my patients' room, or on a hook just outside my room but i'm not worried about the pda walking off. who's gonna want to steal my ratty old scrub jacket?

i keep my schedule on there -- great for when someone asks me for a trade. phone numbers -- doctor's phone numbers including the correct spelling of their last name. if i'm going to write a verbal order or document that someone was called, it looks better (and makes them happier) if you spell it right. (handy for physicians from india and iceland who have really long last names). i also have the "back" phone number for the cath lab -- after hours, it's the only one they answer! -- and ct and lots of other places.

i have some references -- rarely use them any more, but they're handy when i precept. in documents to go, i keep copy of my resume, any new policies and procedures i'm not familiar with or that i'm working on, the class i'm working on putting together, the articles i've written, and the letter to my sister i've been meaning to finish for weeks now. (i have a folding keyboard in my going-to-work bag, and i keep my travel charger there too, unless i'm actually traveling.) my journal is on my pda. i have a spreadsheet that tracks my vacation and holiday hours, "diet and exercise assistant" to help me lose weight (i've lost 28.8 pounds so far!), tide tables since we live on the water, and my shopping list, a gas milage program for the cars, pictures of my last vacation (and numerous other things), bioryhthms, an outliner program that helped me organize my cross country move two years ago, a timer (so i remember to hook that ng back up to suction after i've given the meds), and a program that translates common phrases into five languages. (useful for my spanish, french, dutch, german and italian patients as well as for my last two vacations!) my stepdaughter keeps mp3s on hers, and my husband keeps videos on his.

you're limited only by your imagination!

ICURN_NC · May 14, 2006

Well, I'd have to say that many of you guys have inspired me again. As an excuse to go shopping (yay!) I may buy myself another PDA (God only knows where the last one is?? Probably dead in my locker. Haha!) and give it another go.

Ruby, you sound like the most organized woman I've ever met. Do you think you could give lessons?? :lol2:

japaho41 · May 16, 2006

Fast Facts is the most complete program I have come across for PDA.

bahamagirl · May 18, 2006

There is hospital in our area that started using blackberries as a tool for communication. Each nurse has one as well as the doctors. They email the doctor and get a reply in a timely fashion instead of calling and waiting for the phone to ring. Also, this way you are not being pulled away from the patients bedside.