SAN MATEO, Calif., Oct. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Epocrates announced the launch today of Epocrates Essentials for Nurses, which includes an IV compatibility checker and infusion rate calculator along with the integrated drug, disease and diagnostic references that comprise the widely used mobile clinical reference suite.
Epocrates Essentials for Nurses helps healthcare professionals who frequently administer IV drugs to do so safely and effectively. In just a few taps on their handheld computer or PDA, they can make sure that drugs and solutions are compatible, and calculate infusion rates based upon entered values.
“Last year, we surveyed hundreds of nurses to determine which new features they would find most useful. Nurses are on the front line of care and when a question arises, they need to have ready access to the answer,” said Kirk Loevner, CEO, Epocrates. “With Essentials for Nurses, the nursing community can now rely on getting instant, up-to-date information at the point of care.”
Over 64,000 registered nurses, nurse practitioners and LPNs currently subscribe to Epocrates handheld reference applications, as well as over 6,000 nursing students. In addition to Epocrates Essentials for Nurses, Epocrates has joined with the Institute for Safe Medication Practices to provide DocAlert messages specifically targeted toward nurses, and will conduct quarterly nursing research surveys.
Martha Silverspring is a registered nurse and is also certified by the Oncology Nursing Society. She works part-time in IV home care and at the Alta Bates Comprehensive Cancer Center in Berkeley, California, and uses Epocrates Essentials in both settings.
“I look up unfamiliar medications I’m giving so I know ahead of time the interactions, side effects, IV formulation, dose, and so forth. I look up patients’ medications and teach them about side effects and side effects management ... and I cross-check their meds for interactions,” said Silverspring. “I also look up alternative meds and herbs ... and check interactions and side effects with those. This database is very valuable.”
“The new IV feature is great because I can cross-check IV meds for home care and at the Cancer Center to see which antiemetics, chemotherapy drugs, antibiotics, IV fluids, etc. are compatible. “It’s so easy to just carry my PDA instead of carrying bound volumes of drug references around,” added Silverspring.
Denise McConeghy, RN, BSN, LNC, works in an eight-physician surgical urologic practice in Denver, Colorado.
“I find I’m using Epocrates with every patient encounter in the clinical setting and triage. All of my PDRs and drug books have been moved to the top shelf collecting dust. My PDA with Epocrates is what I reach for now! Everything I need -- drug interactions, adverse reactions, cost, medical tables etc. -- appear at the point of my stylus,” said McConeghy. “And the AutoUpdate feature makes me feel secure that the knowledge I’m imparting to a patient is up to date. Drug books are out of date before they’re even available to purchase.”
McConeghy said that she uses nearly every Epocrates feature as an adjunct in patient education. For example, the ability to check prescription medicines with alternative medicines is very valuable, because McConeghy has seen increased use of alternative medicines by patients, and there are numerous medications where efficacy is decreased when used in conjunction with an alternative medicine.
“The new Epocrates IV application provides an ‘infusion’ of confidence,” said McConeghy. “I’m already noticing an increase in my reliance.”
About Epocrates, Inc.
San Mateo, CA -based Epocrates Inc. is the leader in providing clinical information to physicians and other health care professionals at the point of care, with over 420,000 subscribers, including over 165,000 U.S. physicians. Epocrates’ product offering is led by the Epocrates(R) Essentials mobile clinical reference suite featuring all of the key decision support applications-drugs, diseases, and diagnostics- required for today’s health care professional. The Epocrates Rx(R) and Epocrates Rx Pro(TM) drug reference products are the most widely used in the industry, by individual clinicians and by medical groups, hospitals, universities and medical libraries throughout the U.S. Epocrates also provides formulary information from health plans, hospitals, Medicaid agencies and pharmacy benefit management (PBM) companies that represent over 95 million individuals, and messaging and market research services. For more information, visit http://www.epocrates.com/.
Epocrates, Inc.
CONTACT: Katherine Thornberry of Epocrates Public Relations,+1-650-227-1713, or kthornberry@epocrates.com
Web site: http://www.epocrates.com/