Physicians Share Extraordinary Patient Safety Moments With Epocrates
April 20 2012 - 11:17AM
Internists convene this week at the American College of Physicians
(ACP) Internal Medicine 2012 conference in New Orleans to discuss
new treatments, share best practices and explore how technology is
used to enhance clinical care and avoid medical errors. As
developers of the most used medical app among U.S. physicians,
Epocrates, Inc. (Nasdaq:EPOC) invited conference attendees to share
anecdotes of how its technology solutions are helping them make
safer and more confident prescribing decisions at the point of
care.
Identifying Adverse Reactions with
Epocrates
More than 60 percent of practicing internists use an Epocrates
application to support patient care, most often on an iPhone or
Android smartphone. Among the most valuable features of Epocrates'
drug reference content is the adverse reaction profile, as
illustrated below:
A woman in her 70s with type 2 diabetes and several other
chronic ailments came in for her first visit with Dr. David C.
Gregory of Decatur, Ill. A chief complaint was increasing
peripheral edema, or tissue swelling, which the patient suspected
to be a side effect of an insulin treatment she recently started.
Unfamiliar with such a reaction, Dr. Gregory swiftly looked up the
medication in the Epocrates application on his Google Android
device and confirmed the side effect. He then used Epocrates to
identify an alternative insulin medication that would not cause
edema, while still providing glucose control. "This is one of many
cases where I have been able to use Epocrates to quickly identify
an adverse reaction or potential side effect of a medication that a
patient is inquiring about. Epocrates helps me be able to make
immediate changes or, in many cases, just reassure the patient that
the side effect/adverse reaction probably has nothing to do with
the medication," said Dr. Gregory. "It sure beats carrying around a
20 pound outdated textbook!" Preventing Drug Errors with
Epocrates
According to a recent survey, more than 50 percent of physicians
report that Epocrates helps them avoid one or more adverse drug
events (ADE) per week. A projected 16 million-plus ADEs were
avoided or identified with Epocrates in the last year. Below is an
example of how Epocrates helped avoid an ADE:
Dr. Jeffrey M. Kagan of Newington, Conn. recently saw a
long-time patient taking carbamazepine, an epilepsy medication. The
patient was barely able to walk, weak and dizzy, and said he "felt
like he was falling." Dr. Kagan discovered another physician had
treated the patient with clarithromycin for an infection 10 days
earlier. A quick query of Epocrates' drug interaction checker
revealed that the combination of the two medications produced a
higher risk of toxicity, which would cause the instability. A blood
test confirmed that the patient's carbamazepine level was toxic and
Dr. Kagan instructed him to hold off taking carbamazepine for a few
days. The patient soon returned to normal.
Saving Patients' Lives with Epocrates
An overwhelming majority of physicians, 85 percent, report using
Epocrates multiple times per day, with more than 30 percent
referencing it more than five times a day. Many call on the Pill ID
feature to help identify "mystery" pills simply by entering
characteristics such as color, shape and imprint code. While it is
often used to help clear up patient confusion about existing
medications, there are instances when physicians, EMTs and even
police officers have used Epocrates Pill ID to help save patients'
lives, as illustrated below:
Dr. Marc R. Matrana of Houston, Texas recently used the
Epocrates Pill ID feature to help save a life. Dr. Matrana reports
that he saw a young man who was very sick after ingesting several
unidentified pills. Based on pill descriptions obtained from the
patient's family, Dr. Matrana used the Pill ID feature to identify
what the patient had taken, contact poison control and begin proper
treatment.
"The patient who had ingested the pills walked out of the
hospital a few days later, but I am certain without Epocrates he
would be dead," said Dr. Matrana. "Epocrates is an invaluable
partner for physicians and our patients."
Additional Epocrates Stories
Epocrates invites clinicians to share their extraordinary
stories by visiting ACP booth #1015 or posting on the Epocrates
Facebook page.
About Epocrates, Inc.
Epocrates, Inc. (Nasdaq:EPOC) is a leading physician platform
for essential clinical content, practice tools and health industry
engagement at the point of care. The Epocrates network consists of
more than one million healthcare professionals, including 50
percent of U.S. physicians, who routinely use its solutions and
services, such as the industry's #1 most used mobile drug
reference, and valuable manufacturer resources. Through these
intuitive and reliable resources, Epocrates supports clinical
decisions, helps improve physician workflow and impacts patient
outcomes. For more information, please visit
www.epocrates.com/company.
Epocrates is a trademark of Epocrates, Inc., registered in the
U.S. and other countries.
The Epocrates, Inc. logo is available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=10943
CONTACT: Erica Sniad Morgenstern
Senior Director, Public Relations & Communications
Epocrates, Inc.
(650) 227-6907
pr@epocrates.com
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