Scanning meds

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Specializes in Certified Med/Surg tele, and other stuff.

My hospital is going to be scanning meds this summer, when the new system arrives. How well does it work? Does it really cut down on errors? We had a staff meeting and one nurse, who has worked with it in the past, said it doesn't cut down any or all that much.

Ideas? How does it work? Does it tell you if there is a dose omission or the wrong dose? If you scan something that is the wrong dose, dose it tell you?

Our system with paper MAR's doesn't work all that well. We have a high incidence of dose omission, primarily because the times are set so close together and the eye does not see it at times. We asked to have the times put farther apart, but we were told that can't be done. :uhoh3:

It also doesn't help that the dr's write 4 pages of orders per day and write them throughout the day, so you have to constantly check your charts, up until the second you go home.

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Specializes in Gerontology.

Our hospital is moving towards this, and frankly, I am concerned. I've been told that it can add an extra 10 minutes per pt to pour meds. Well, I have 6 pts on days. That's an extra 60 minutes per med pass. Most pts get meds at breakfast, lunch and supper. So I have to figure out how to fit and extra 3 hours of work into my day that I already don't have enough time in???

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Specializes in neuro/ortho med surge 4.

The hospital I work at has recently updated from paper Mars to admin rx. I have been using it for 2 weeks now. I find it slows me down because I have to scan the patients med bracelet several times and then scan the meds several times and then scan the patients band again at the end. If the band doesn't scan we are supposed to get a new one from admissions. This all takes time that nurses do not have.

If I have to go in and give the patient a PRN med I have to take the whole computer with me and do the whole cumbersome scanning process. What should take 2 minutes now takes 7 or 8. I am not fond of this system right now but am optimistic it will eventually get better.

I find that it takes me away from the time spent with my patients. Yes, I am in the room longer but only because I am fiddling around with the computer screen and trying to get it to scan. It is not quality time with the patient at all. I have nicknamed my computer big brother from the book 1984. Management will now be seeing how the meds are passed out late due to the many directions a nurse is pulled to in a shift. Just last night I had to spend 45 minuted in an ETOHer's room. So of course, my meds were all late.

No, I don't think it cuts down on med errors. I work with a nurse who has never had a med error in 14 years. She made her first one with this system.

I hope with in the next few weeks it will get better.

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Yes, and yes... it should prompt you. But it is a bit frustrating just the same. There are checks and balances in place... pharmacy must OK, and RN must OK new orders, but in a way it also is another step after the pyxis. Sometimes you feel distracted by the whole process when you need to be focused on the med itself and the patient and that whole interaction of treating the patient kind of gets lost a bit. One hospital I had clinical at was way overboard. 100% paperless. Was a nightmare to both MDs and Nurses. These systems integrate to all charting, and it can take all of your focus easily. Administration can go totally obsessive/compulsive with that kind of system.

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Specializes in Cardiology, Oncology, Medsurge.

It's a pain in the butt at first, like most things. However, once you know the system, you don't want to go back. Works well, especially when checking "right med right patient." You see because you zap the patient's wrist band as well as the med, NO ERRORS.

It's great!

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Specializes in Certified Med/Surg tele, and other stuff.
The hospital I work at has recently updated from paper Mars to admin rx. I have been using it for 2 weeks now. I find it slows me down because I have to scan the patients med bracelet several times and then scan the meds several times and then scan the patients band again at the end. If the band doesn't scan we are supposed to get a new one from admissions. This all takes time that nurses do not have.

If I have to go in and give the patient a PRN med I have to take the whole computer with me and do the whole cumbersome scanning process. What should take 2 minutes now takes 7 or 8. I am not fond of this system right now but am optimistic it will eventually get better.

I find that it takes me away from the time spent with my patients. Yes, I am in the room longer but only because I am fiddling around with the computer screen and trying to get it to scan. It is not quality time with the patient at all. I have nicknamed my computer big brother from the book 1984. Management will now be seeing how the meds are passed out late due to the many directions a nurse is pulled to in a shift. Just last night I had to spend 45 minuted in an ETOHer's room. So of course, my meds were all late.

No, I don't think it cuts down on med errors. I work with a nurse who has never had a med error in 14 years. She made her first one with this system.

I hope with in the next few weeks it will get better.

How did she error, do you know? I keep hearing how slow it is, but I'm worried about the time factor as well.

I was hoping that it would beep, hollar or scream if a med was being missed or it was the wrong dose. Something to make it worthwhile.

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Specializes in pulm/cardiology pcu, surgical onc.

We've been scanning at the bedside for over 3 years. It's possible to still make an error IF the order was entered incorrectly and I've had to correct the pharmacy a few times. But I don't think it takes too much longer to scan meds and it certainly cuts down on errors. We can check the computer and it'll tell us when meds are due and if any are overdue. Really cuts down on writing things down to remember. I couldn't imagine doing it any other way!

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Nurses are notoriously resistant to change! When a previous employer went to eMar we all hated it but with in a few weeks I found it to be so much better than individual mars in individual binders that were forever missing cause the Dr had them or the Secretary had them putting in new med orders. I have heard other nurses that don't like scanning and it could have something to do with different systems. I do agree having to drag COWS down the hall for prns is cumbersome though

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, Emergency, SAFE.

I love the system..but then again, ive never used anything else. Theres times when Ive grabbed the wrong fluids, scanned then in and boop! up pops an error for no order in the system. Same with meds ...such as pills that need to be halfed...you have to manually put in the dose if its different from the standard, so it works as a reminder. Also with allergies,...you have to manually override a med if youre giving it and its listed as an allergy..this of course depends on the allergies being input correctly in the first place.

As far as being slow..it has its moments. Sometimes it crashes after Ive scanned 10 different meds and i wanna pull my hair out....I have to leave the room, get a new comp, wheel it in and start the process over again with half destroyed pill wrappers...:p

You'll get used to it.

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I have been working the last couple years at a facility with a completely computerized med administration system (my first experience), and I LOOOOVE it. I don't feel it is particularly slower than the "old" way, and the system makes it very difficult to make a med error -- you have to really work at it, haha! (You have to intentionally bypass the safety mechanisms built in to the system, which a fair number of the nurses I work with do, I'm sorry to say ...)

I find the hospital pharmacy makes a fair number of dumb mistakes putting the orders into the computer system (we (nurses) all kvetch that if we did our jobs that badly, and made that many errors, we'd be fired, but nothing ever seems to happen to the pharmacists), but, other than that, the system works really well IMHO.

We also have a computerized Omnicell system for storing and pulling meds, so the system is pretty close to foolproof -- as I said, you have to really work at it to make a med error.

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The eMAR programs have built in safety measures. If a dose is missd, depending on the system your facility is using, a red OVERDUE button lights up on the patient's MAR. then you just click on the button, click on the med, which is now a blue hyperlink, and it takes you right to the med that was missed. I've been supporting MDs and nurses with these programs for 2 years now. They ALL resist the changes but once its up and running and they get more accustomed to it, they don't know how they got along without it. Then you have the nurses who would rather quit or retire rather learn the new system. Electronic medical records has been federally mandated. By 2011, ALL facilities should be up and running with EMR.

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Hi elkpark, I don't have much experience with computerized medication administration and I was wondering how does one know weather or not pharmacy has put in the medication order correctly?

Thanks.

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