Instead of our unit clerk copying out the med sheets used in the MAR, now our pharmacy prints them out the night before. Does anyone else have this? I don'tlike it as much as the old way. The meds are timed for you and the times are all wrong, plus when new orders come in they have to be written out anyway. Some of the meds are even written out wrong. New sheets are printed daily so the old ones pile up, such a waste of paper. Just want to see if anyone else has experience with this.

       I don't care much more for either way, but I do like things to be copied right.  To me what is important is that it should be standardized in the various state directives as I believe that the potential exsists for more mistakes especially if you work for different systems (i.e. agentcy nurses).  So let us all get on the same page (I know it is just a dream but what is wrong with an across the board standard).

Cheers and better MARS to you - Tim, R.N.

we use computer charting and have for awhile. its just these new printed MARs. when i get an admit i have been waiting a couple hours to get the mars and when i get them it doesnt take into account the 10 new meds that the doc added when the pt got to the floor-so the clerk has to write them in. im sure it will get better when they work out the kinks...thanks for letting me vent.

errors are the main reason "they" told  us we were going to computerized charting.  after implementation the total amount of errors DOUBLED !!"they" told us that was due to a learning curve ! haha well tell that to the pt that got 2 units of blood without an order but ended up on the computer  orders anyways by some mystery. OMG that has never happend in our hospital in the FIFTY + YEARS it has been here!! so maybe there will be less errors over time but somehow i doubt it.  the system is only as good as the person pushing the buttons. i could go on and list the many many many errors i have seen but it would take me all day. the computerized charting is for the bean counters who run studies on this or that. it has nothing to do with making the care better its just to make the bean counters job easier so they can sit at their desk eating cheetos and collect data.  great!

We had daily MARS also and since I worked nights, I had to check them before the next shift began. They were preprinted from the pharmacy and often they forgot new orders, hours before they printed them. we also were on computer charting and found that to be ok, at least the notes were ledgible ( unlike most MD orders).

I have been using computer generated MARS for years, to me, it is far superior to having unit clerks handwriting them, or other nurses for that matter, many more errors are made by us lowly people.  The key is CHECK YOUR MAR TO THE CHART, like you were taught to do, if there is an error, call pharmacy immediately and have it corrected in the system, and correct it on your MAR.  Yes, it is a waste of paper, is there anything we can do about it right this minute? No, there is not.  What is more important here is patient safety and based on lots of experience, computer generated MARS coupled with observant and careful nurses are far more safe. Everyone makes mistakes, from Pharmacists, Doctors, Nurses, Unit Clerks......everyone, that it why we have to be so careful.

 we had to go to printed MAR's and had a heck of a time agreeing with nursing and pharmacy on standardized drug times. and even larger battle to get the staff to not change the times on the MAR.   If they have to change something, they are supposed to let Pharm know, so they can go in the computer and change the time.    But many times, people just circle the time, or cross it out and write in a different time.  sometimes giving the med at a time that is not the appropriate time for that med to be given.  

also on the printed MAR, the system has checked every med to see if it can be given within a certain time as the other meds..... and if you change the time, you may give something at the same time as something that it may interact with.