I recently accompanied my mother to UCSF for a follow-up procedure after her liver transplant. When it was time for her to be discharged home the nurse handed me the prescription below. Forget for a second that there are about a half dozen things wrong with it and just focus on the distinct nature of the prescription blank.
Author: Jerry Fahrni
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What I miss most, and least about working in a hospital
I left pharmacy practice in November of 2010, so I’ve been out of the hospital for almost a year now. Typically I don’t give it a second thought, but recently I’ve found myself in several inpatient pharmacies face to face with pharmacists and technicians. Pharmacists are always willing to engage in talk about pharmacy practice, clinical situations and how things are going. The technicians are always up for a little conversation about operations, equipment, medication preparation, and so on. I find it quite enjoyable. While I’m not pining for the good old days, I do tend to get a little nostalgic on occasion.
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A tablet for the pool, the Fujitsu Arrows Tab LTE F-01D
The Fujitsu Arrow Tab LTE F-01D is similar to many tablets currently on the market today. It has all the goodies like a 10.1-inch 1280 x 768 screen, a 1GHz dual-core processor, a pair of cameras, 16GB of storage, micro-USB, microSD card slot, and Android 3.2 Honeycomb. Now for the really cool stuff, it’s waterproof and obeys gesture commands via its front facing camera.
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Cool Pharmacy Technology–RevVac Syringe
I suppose this could really be cool tech for nursing or lab, but I thought it was worth having a deeper look.
The ReVac Retracting Safety Syring by Revolutions Medical “use a proprietary patented technology in which a vacuum causes the needle to retract into the barrel of the syringe or device after an injection is administered or blood is drawn.â€
According to the Revolutions Medical website “[t]he RevVacâ„¢ Safety Syringe and Phlebotomy (blood drawing) Device operate the same as a standard syringe and device. No additional training, skills, or procedures are necessary. The both products work on a vacuum principle, where pressing the plunger in them creates a vacuum. When the plunger reaches the bottom, the needle is captured. A further push on the plunger breaks the seal, and the needle retracts into the plunger barrel. The vacuum is maintained, so the needle cannot be removed from the plunger.â€
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Augmented reality for chemists [video]
Boing Boing: “In a very cool video from Chemical and Engineering News, Art Olson of the Scripps Research Institute explains how chemists in his lab can predict how well the drugs they develop will work.
Olson’s lab prints 3D models of molecular structures, both targets—like the HIV protease enzyme in the video—and the drugs they’ve made to bond to those targets. The models are rigged up so that when Olson holds them in front of a webcam, they instantly interact with chemical analysis software his team has built. The result is a system that allows researchers to see, physically, how well the drugs fit their targets, and simultaneously test how well the two are likely to bond on a chemical level.â€
A 3D printed molecule with augmented reality! This is downright awesome. There’s no other way to say it. Drug development will never be the same. The only question I have is… where can I get one for myself?
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Lexicomp I.V. Compatibility module available for Android
It warms the cockles of my heart to read stuff like this. The I.V. Compatibility module for Lexicomp is now available for the Android OS. I couldn’t find any screen shots so you’ll just have to use your imagination.
You can find more information here.
Lexicomp’s I.V. Compatibility module is now available for your Lexicomp On-Hand subscription for Androidâ„¢! By following the update instructions below, you can add this module to your existing Lexicomp On-Hand subscription. There is no additional charge for this enhancement.
The I.V. Compatibility module allows you to review compatibility and stability information for hundreds of parenteral medications and fluids. This module is based on information from the King® Guide to Parenteral Admixtures®. Thousands of clinicians are already using Lexicomp’s I.V. Compatibility module every day – now you can access this vital information on your Android smartphone or tablet as well.
To update your subscription to include I.V. Compatibility, follow these instructions:
Ensure you have a strong Wi-Fi or cellular connection.
On your Android device, tap the Market icon and search for Lexicomp.
Select Lexicomp and tap Update. When the warning appears, tap Accept & Download.
When the application is installed, tap the Lexicomp icon to access your software. -
What healthcare can learn from Chevy
I’ve spent a fair amount of time in rental cars this year, and one thing I hate is trying to figure out the controls. They seem simple enough, except when you’re in a hurry. Whether it’s the cruise control, the wipers, environmental controls, the lights or the radio, it always takes me a while to get things ironed out. Kind of reminds me of the mess healthcare is in; you never know what systems you’re going to get.
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Canada calls for national drug shortage registry [article]
The Canadian Pharmacist Association is looking for a way to track drug shortages. They would like to get drug manufactures and hospitals to participate in a national reporting system. It’s a great idea and one that I think could provide value.
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A humbling experience and time to reflect
This post has nothing to do with pharmacy, automation or technology. In fact, it is decisively about a personal experience. I wasn’t going to post this, but a little voice kept gnawing at the back of my mind. In hopes of calming the voice I decided to put pen to paper.