Online nursing resources update

As I've mentioned before, nursing listservs are full of information that arrives straight to your mailbox.

I recently received an e-mail from a listserv I'm on that points the way to a list of nursing resources all in one place.

Essential Nursing Resources is available in PDF format or in HTML format at the NLN web site, so have a look and see for yourself the varied content and listings available.

Many thanks to Carol Bickford from the ANA for this and all your other posts to the nrsing-l mailing list.

ePocrates deal

Lo and behold, I look in my e-mail box today, and ePocrates has a 20% off deal at www.epocrates.com until October 4 on its Essentials product.

Use DLXPROMO in the discount code box.

NOEdb

I found this link recently.

http://noedb.org/ NOEdb - Nursing Online Education Database has links to nursing education programs and a library with links to various sites of interest 100 Web Resources for Medical Professionals.

Nursing Central deal

If you've tried Nursing Central by Unbound Medicine and you'd like to buy it, put Nurse20 in the promotions code section of your order form to get 20% of the list price until October for this handy Palm software or any software in the Unbound Medicine collection.

Handling the information in your life - newsletters, listservs

I get a lot of e-mail. Sometimes, I think I get too much e-mail, but I find, in some ways, it's a convenient way to keep abreast of a lot of topics, without getting too involved unless I'd like to do so.

One way I do this is to use newsletters and listservs (also known as mailing lists) to keep up with information on various topics. Many web sites offer e-mail newsletters on a weekly or monthly to quarterly basis.

Here are some sites with these features I use and what I like about them.

1. http://www.nursezone.com/
NurseZone has several newsletters available that will link you to the latest stories on their web site. This is very helpful, since I don't always have a lot of time to surf to each one individually. It's very simple--they send out the newsletter with the latest topics and if one piques your interest, simply click on the link in the e-mail.

2. http://dir.yahoo.com/Health/Nursing/
This site has a good compilation of information in two pages for newsletters, nursing sites and links to mailing lists.

3. http://consortiumlibrary.org/hsis/find/internet/mailing_lists.php
This page, from the University of Alaska at Anchorage has links to nursing mailing lists and other information on finding nursing mailing lists of your choice.

4. Your friendly, neighborhood nursing association.
I live in Missouri, and our organization MONA (the Missouri Nurses Association) has newsletters and other information on its web site. For more information and web site links to your state nursing association, check out ANA Nursing World.

Where to look -- information on the web

My first inclination when looking for technology articles of interest to me as a nurse is to turn the web and poke around in the search engines. My personal favorite is Google (also the parent company of blogger.com) Google, like many other search engines, uses proprietary algorithms to find articles based on your searches. This is quick and easy, but depending on the search term, it can be a bit overwhelming. The University of Berkeley offers this page called Googling to the Max with information on how to get the most out of your Google searches.


From my university days not so long ago, we learned about the subscription databases, such as Medline and the greatest nursing database ever, CINAHL. These tend to be very expensive, and unless you're enrolled in a class with library access or your facility provides this access to you, you may have to seek alternative resources.


Searching the web for cogent articles for you as a nurse can be challenging, but there are a variety of free resources that are decent and referenced to quality research. Here are some of my favorites below:

Medscape Nursing
This section of the http://www.medscape.com/ site discusses news, industry information and has sections on specialty areas of nursing, as well as opportunities for continuing education.



eMedicine
This site's entry paragraph says it all:


The original open access comprehensive medical textbook for all clinical fields
10,000 Contributors 6,500 Articles


I have found it to be very useful for a quick study on a disease process and its treatments. It was invaluable for me as a student because it allowed me to learn information quickly about a disease or disorder. I still use it today. I found it most helpful recently when I had a patient with Fournier's gangrene.



Finally, the National Institutes of Health also has a wide variety of information for both nurses and patients, as well as links to research topics, grant information, and links to specialty centers of the NIH such as National Cancer Institute and other centers.

Drug information abounds on the web. It is available from specific manufacturers or from sites such as NIH at MedlinePlus drug information, http://www.rxlist.com/, or at http://www.drugs.com/. Please note that some sites may require purchasing a subscription to access further data.

What do you carry in your pockets?

With all the stuff I have to carry around as I work on the floor, I could not live without my PalmPilot TX. I got mine while I was in nursing school after my clinical instructor showed me hers. She also told me about a great program called ePocrates, which incorporates drug guides, calculators and other reference tools, such as lab and diagnostic test information in one package. It sure beats carrying around a med book, notebook and calculator since it's all on your Palm. Cost varies based on subscription length and version of ePocrates (Essentials, Deluxe, etc.) you choose.

ePocrates

Pros:

• It has a history feature that shows you what you've already looked up.
• The look and feel is similar to going through a file and easy to figure out once you sit down and play with it.
• You can also set it up to update daily through your PDA using a home or business wireless connection.
• A free version is available if you are interested in trying it out before you buy it.

Cons:

• This resource is written primarily for physicians, so nursing diagnoses, assessment, and implications are not readily available in this product.

Nursing Central

While ePocrates is a program written primarily for physicians, Nursing Central, is a similar product for your PDA written especially for nurses. I have been using this product for the past month, and I really appreciate the various features.

This suite incorporates Davis' Drug Guide, Taber's Medical Cyclopedia, Medline journal abstract information, as well as disease and lab test information. Cost $150. Discounts are often available if you download the trial version.


Pros:

• The layout uses drop down menus and is also easy to navigate.
• There is a free trial version available if you want to try before you buy.

Cons:

• There is no history feature, so if you have to go back to a med or test later, you have to start all over again.
• Reading some of the charts (if you don't pay attention carefully to the instructions) can be difficult.

There are other nursing programs out there worth investigating. Check out handango.com to see the wide array of products for nurses, such as RN Crash Cart and IV drip calculator.

Day one

Welcome to IT RN. The intent of this blog is to find the best articles and links to technology resources of interest to practicing nurses.

I'm not affiliated with any technology companies, so I hope to just throw you the links to interesting sites and articles and let you decide for yourselves what you like and what you don't like.

Any opinions expressed in this blog are my two cents and do not imply any warranty or guarantee. Consequently, if you landed here for health care advice, I suggest you contact your friendly, neighborhood health care provider for information tailored specifically to your needs, since this blog is about technology in the health care setting.

Technology is ever expanding and its role in nursing is, too. I hope this blog can provide additional information on how it can and will make a difference in your nursing practice.

Thanks for visiting and let's get it! IT RN is technology for nurses.