Drug-Drug Interaction Categorization
With the newest version of Epocrates Rx, when viewing the drug interaction list for a drug, or when viewing MultiCheck results, you'll notice that the drug-drug interactions and drug-alt med interactions are now categorized under bold headers.
- Contraindicated
- Avoid/Use Alternative
- Monitor/Modify Tx
- Therapeutic Advantage
- Caution Advised
These categories were created by grouping the interactions based on the action, or first portion, of the interaction statement. It should be noted that the categories are not necessarily stratified in order of severity or significance of the interaction; they are intended to break up increasingly long lists of interactions and to provide clarity regarding the nature of the interaction. For example, it will be easier to quickly determine drug pairings that are contraindicated based on manufacturer warnings vs. drugs that may be combined, but only with specific dose adjustments or monitoring.
Updated Epocrates ID Available Now
The Skin/Soft Tissue diagnoses and conditions have been completely reviewed, and dozens of updates have been made to refine the indications, bug lists, and drug recommendations.
Simply AutoUpdate your Epocrates Essentials/ Epocrates Rx Pro application to receive the latest infectious disease treatment guidelines.
View other clinical update highlights >
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Epocrates Essentials Tutorial
One of the greatest benefits of using Epocrates references is the way they link together to help you quickly find answers to inter-related questions. To help you learn how our references and features work together to save you time, we have created a simple, FREE tutorial that you can view on your Palm® mobile device.
The Epocrates Essentials Tutorial is FREE, and only requires 240 KB of memory. When you no longer need it, it is easy to delete it from your device.
The tutorial is divided into five short sections:
- Getting Started:
- Describes icons, navigation, and common look-up features of Epocrates references
- Epocrates Rx:
- Demonstrates the features and functionality of our free drug reference
- Epocrates Rx Pro:
- Highlights the additional features and benefits of our premium drug reference, including our new IV compatibility checker
- Epocrates Dx:
- Explains key features and ability to link to other Essentials references
- Epocrates Lab:
- Provides an overview of content features and user tips
Whether you use our free product, premium product(s), or our all-in-one Epocrates Essentials application, the Tutorial is a great way to learn about features you might not be using already.
To learn more or download, please click here.
Please forward information about our free tutorial to a colleague to earn Referral Rewards.
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"Talk About Prescriptions" Month
October is "Talk About Prescriptions" Month, and Epocrates is teaming up with the National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE) to promote guidelines for medication communication between clinicians and patients.
While studies show that patients are more likely to comply with their medication regimens when they receive such counseling, a recent FDA survey showed that fewer than 40 percent of patients report being counseled about side effects, precautions, or refills when given a new medication. In addition, less than two thirds report being given instructions for medication use, including how much to take and how often.
NCPIE is offering the "Guidelines for Physicians for Counseling Patients About Prescription Medications in the Ambulatory Setting" in cooperation with the American Medical Association. Epocrates is supporting this effort by providing a DocAlert messaging campaign to promote the Guidelines.
"The National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE) is all about enhancing medicine communication... and its role in promoting compliance, patient safety, and positive health outcomes. During our October "Talk About Prescriptions" Month observance, we are reaching out to prescribers in the Epocrates network with simple tools to boost compliance, including the AMA counseling guidelines," says NCPIE's Executive Vice President Wm. Ray Bullman, M.A.M.
"Because our messages are simple and general, they can have broad application to most any prescribing practitioner in patient care. Sending our "Talk About Prescriptions" message via Epocrates keeps our communication short and focused, yet it provides those subscribers who wish to seek additional information an easy 'click' to do so," continued Bullman. "NCPIE works to enhance medicine communication, and Epocrates takes the work out of disseminating our message. Better medicine communication is a win for everyone, and especially for patients."
As the leading provider of comprehensive clinical reference tools for health care professionals at the point-of-care, Epocrates' core values and products are clearly aligned with enhancing patient care and safety. Epocrates supports the goals of "Talk About Prescriptions" month that address the important issue of increasing medication communication.
Get more information about how you can observe "Talk About Prescriptions" Month.
Review the AMA's "Guidelines for Physicians for Counseling Patients About Prescription Medications in the Ambulatory Setting,".
Learn more about Epocrates DocAlert messages.
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Celebrating Pharmacists, Nurse-Midwives, Emergency Nurses
American Pharmacists Month
The APhA has designated October 2004 as the first ever American Pharmacists Month. Their goal is to heighten consumer awareness of pharmacists' role as a medication advisor and patient care provider, resulting in better communication and improved medication safety. Learn more about American Pharmacists Month.
More than 20,000 hospital and community pharmacists currently use Epocrates products.
"I have used Epocrates from day one. It is an invaluable tool, that keeps getting better with each new revision. Not only can I carry a vast amount of information in my pocket, the docalerts keep me up on the latest medical news and issues. My PDA has other medical references, but Epocrates is the one that I use every day. I cannot imagine being without it at hand."
George Andrews R.Ph.
SMDC Duluth, MN
National Midwifery Week
The American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) celebrated National Midwifery Week October 3-9, highlighting the commitment of midwives to be "with women, for a lifetime." The ACNM invites you to learn more about midwifery - did you know that the first documented midwifery training program was begun by Hippocrates in the 5th Century BC? Now, about 10% of certified nurse-midwives and certified midwives in the US get important clinical information from Epocrates!
"I find Epocrates very useful for checking on pregnancy and lactation categories. It's great to have this information at my fingertips since I'm frequently asked "can I take this drug while I'm pregnant or breastfeeding?" It's also particularly useful to be able to check drug company formularies. This can eliminate a lot of hassle for me and my clients."
Lillie Rizack, CNM, MSN
Emergency Nurses Week
The Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) is celebrating Emergency Nurses Week right now (October 10-16). They've shone the spotlight on nine "Everyday Heroes", who represent the breadth of emergency nursing today.
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