ONS Connect - July 2008 - (Page 14)

yOUTELLUS What Technology Do You Use to Support Patient Care? Technology puts information at practitioners’ fingertips use technology every day to improve my patient care. At Ocean Medical Center, we are very fortunate to have databases where we can assess a world of information for nursing and patient education. We have portable laptops I that can be brought into a patient’s room to enter assessments right at the bedside. We also have MedSelects (drug inventory and dispensing machines), which supply 95% of patient medications. The devices offer a “usage option” that keeps track of the last time a drug was selected from the machine. Recently, a physician wrote an order for a medication and the pharmacy questioned the order, saying they never heard of the drug. With the use of the computers, UpToDate, and Lexi-Comp, I was able to do my own research and found the drug. I don’t know what I would do without technology incorporated into my daily work routine. Melissa Campbell, RN, BSN Oncology Staff Nurse Ocean Medical Center Brick, NJ you Tell Us, readers! “You Tell Us” is a forum for ONS Connect readers to share comments with their professional colleagues. If you have knowledge to share on the following topics, please tell us! We’d love to hear from you. October: How has genomic testing impacted your practice? (Submit by August 1.) November: How do you support caregivers of patients with cancer? (Submit by September 1.) Submissions should be approximately 125 words and may be edited for clarity and space. Send responses by the deadline listed in parentheses to Staff Editor Elisa Becze via e-mail (pubONSConnect@ons .org), fax (+1-412-859-6163), or online (www.ONSConnect.org). ✱ 14 July 2008 Clinical Trial Technology Gives patients peace of mind he technology we use is research through technology in clinical trials. We opened a study last year that helps high-risk patients with a family history of lung cancer to obtain a lowdose computed tomography (CT) scan to check for lung cancer. Some doctors would not prescribe a low-dose CT scan normally. Patients throughout California have come to our center to participate in the study. Patients who participate are given the opportunity to have their CT scans read by a radiologist. About half of the patients have concerning results; per the study, they are reevaluated in three months. The study is not free but is a small price to pay for peace of mind. T Tanya Brubaker, RN, BSN, OCN®, CCRP John Muir Health Walnut Creek, CA ONS CONNECT http://pubonsconnect@ons.org http://www.ONSConnect.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of ONS Connect - July 2008

ONS Connect - July 2008 Contents Editor's Note Just In Technologic Advancements in Cancer Care A Year in the Life - Month Seven Web Connect Capitol Connection Notice Nursing Now Caregiver Care Computerized System Standardizes Symptom Assessment and Management Nanotechnology Treats Cancer at the Atomic Level Rise in Mastectomies May Be Linked to Increased Use of MRI Detection Working for You Calendar of Events Staying on Top

ONS Connect - July 2008

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