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I was wondering which PDA phone ER Nurses are using out there, reliability, pros-cons of the device. If not a phone PDA, is there a PDA that you would recommend.
I have a palm and it's about 3-4 years old. I use ER Suite, Davis Drug Guide mostly. On the floor I used to use Diseases and Disorders, but don't have as much time to get into the finer details of conditions now that I'm in the ER. LOVE ER Suite, as it has some great drip calculators, as well as some very useful pedi stuff.
Palm TX here, with ePocrates, 5-Minute Clinical Consult, Fast Facts for Critical Care and RNotes. I swapped out references throughout school (Harriet Lane, Washington Manual of OB/GYN and Saunders' NCLEX flashcards, among others). Yes, it's old school, but it works like a charm.
My unit tends to look askance at phone-based solutions, but the Palm is OK r/t its lack of a camera or cellular connectivity. (Then too, I leave the Wi-Fi disabled and only turn on Bluetooth for synchronization.)
Still using my Palm Zire 72 for now. I'm saving up for an iPod Touch, so that I can use the programs I already like from Skyscape and add ResQShop that Gila mentioned earlier. I have ER Suite, which is great; but the company's support/customer service is terrible when you have a problem. I'm giving it up.
My wife just got a Blackberry Storm II and is very very happy with it. She doesn't use as many different apps as I do; and I specifically want to use ResQShop, which won't run on Blackberry. From what I here the Blackberry battery lasts longer between charges than the iPod, which can be an advantage for those of us away at work for more than a day straight.
EmergencyNrse
632 Posts
Don't think you're alone. No phones or PDA's allowed.
They are more concerned about abuse than practical use.
Apparently it gives the patients a bad image of nurses of they use technology in their jobs.
(...that's what management is saying around here)