Modern-day NICU nursing...let's go! I took to Instagram to source the best bedside NICU apps nurses are using. Below I have listed a few of the apps I have used and have added to my bedside workflow. From medication references to cardiac anomalies and parent resources, these are the TOP most suggested and used apps in practice.
BEST NICU NURSE APPS TO CHECK OUT AND USE IN YOUR PRACTICE
MEDICATION REFERENCE APPS
Lexicomp drug references on mobile apps are unique in the industry for being as extensive as our online drug reference offerings. No content is abridged. Users can view more than 20 databases featuring timely, in-depth information on drugs, natural products, interactions, medical calculations and more, whether in the hospital or on-the-go.
Provides unique features other drug information apps don’t have, like a pharmacogenomics database, IV compatibility data, drug shortage information, patient education leaflets, and the ability to reorder databases and monograph fields to customize the display.
Content is stored directly on the device – clinicians can quickly answer questions even if there is a weak mobile signal or no internet connection. Used and trusted by pharmacists, physicians, nurses, advanced practice nurses, dentists, and students.
BM Micromedex NeoFax app is free to subscribers of IBM Micromedex NeoFax online.
IBM Micromedex NeoFax app is a reliable resource for on-the-go access to evidence-based drug information to efficiently and safely manage drug therapy for neonatal patients. It allows clinicians to make accurate and more informed treatment decisions at the point of care, while minimizing errors in this vulnerable patient population. This neonatal-specific app has clinical value for doctors, nurses, and pharmacists. An internet connection is not required, allowing you to make decisions with confidence at anytime, from anywhere.
IBM Micromedex NeoFax is a trusted source for neonatal drug dosing, based on the strict editorial policies and practices that have guided IBM Micromedex NeoFax for more than 30 years. Evidence-based, fully referenced neonatal-specific drug information enables clinicians to make informed treatment decisions. The drug monographs cover information including: dose, administration, uses, contraindications/precautions, adverse effects, monitoring, pharmacology, special considerations/preparation, solution- and drug-drug compatibility/incompatibility information, and references. This mobile app also includes a comprehensive enteral formulas component providing nutritional information for approximately 60 different neonatal and infant formulas, and human milk fortifiers.
IBM Micromedex NeoFax drug information is intended for full-term babies up to 28 days of age (PNA) and preterm babies up to 44 weeks postmenstrual age (GA + PNA).
Do you work at a facility that subscribes to IBM Micromedex NeoFax? Check with your Chief of Pediatrics, Director of Pediatrics, Director of the NICU, Directory of Pharmacy, Chief Medical Officer, Chief Nursing Officer, Medical Librarian, or anyone else at your facility responsible for clinical reference information.
CARDIAC EDUCATIONAL APP
Congenital heart defects can be difficult to visualize and explain. Heartpedia, created by Cincinnati Children's Hospital, allows you to interact with 3D models of pediatric heart anomalies and defects. Healthcare providers may use these anatomically-correct models as visual learning tools to help educate patients and families on specific defects and repairs. Heartpedia may also be helpful to patients and families who want to learn more on their own or to share the details of a defect with concerned friends and family. Cincinnati Children’s believes that supplying the right information and tools ultimately results in the highest level of care and the best outcomes.
FEATURES
Explore what a normal, defective and repaired heart looks like for these anomalies and defects:
•Tetralogy of Fallot
•Coarctation of the Aorta
•Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
•Transposition of the Great Arteries
•Ventricular Septal Defect
•Patent Ductus Arteriosus
•Atrioventricular Septal Defect
•Atrial Septal Defect
•Ebstein’s Anomaly
Discover each defect through the following interactions:
•Toggle between normal, defect and repair views
•View exterior and various interior heart planes / slices
•Pan, rotate and zoom
•Watch video animation with audio description of each defect and repair
•See labels of key heart structures
•Read a detailed description of the defect
ABOUT CINCINNATI CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTER
As one of the top three pediatric hospitals in the United States, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center is dedicated to improving child health locally, nationally and internationally. We relentlessly focus on improving outcomes, enhancing patient and family experience, and providing the best value for every visitor.
PARENT RESOURCE APPS
You don't have to go it alone if you have a baby who is admitted to the newborn intensive care unit (NICU), a nursery in a hospital that provides around-the-clock specialized care to newborns. We've created the March of Dimes My NICU Baby® App to provide answers, tools and support, so you can focus on your baby during what is often a difficult time. Learn about NICU staff, policies, equipment and terminology on your own schedule. The app has been developed and designed by experts to help you advocate for the best care for your baby.
ANSWERS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
Use My NICU Baby to do things like:
Get tips and helpful videos to care for your baby in the NICU and at home
Track breastfeeding sessions and baby's weight
Track breast pumping and kangaroo care
Take photos and add filters
Connect with other families with similar experiences
Create a customizable checklist to prepare to take your baby home
SUPPORTING YOUR NICU JOURNEY
March of Dimes helps moms and families through every stage of pregnancy and throughout the NICU journey. It's what we do. My NICU Baby App is available whenever you need it to provide peace of mind, support and information at your fingertips. It's been developed to help parents cope with a baby's early birth, complications like birth defects and other issues that may affect a baby in the NICU. On our site, you can also find more information about breastfeeding, caring for your baby and what to expect when your baby graduates from the NICU. View application flyer here.
Having a baby in the NICU can bring a wave of mixed emotions. You may feel sad, angry and overwhelmed at the same time. Being around unfamiliar equipment, hearing the sound of machines beeping and seeing your baby in this space can be unsettling moments for a new mom.
Most likely you have lots of questions and concerns. But you don’t have to go it alone. We’ve created the March of Dimes My NICU Baby App to provide answers, tools and support so you can focus on your baby. You can learn about NICU staff, policies, equipment and terminology at your own pace and on your own schedule. The app is developed and designed by experts to help you advocate for the best care for your baby. And now it’s available in Spanish: Mi Bebé en NICU.
The answers and tools you’re looking for are now available at your fingertips:
Get tips and helpful information to care for your baby in the NICU and at home
Track breastfeeding sessions and baby’s weight.
Track breast pumping and kangaroo care.
Take photos and add filters.
Connect with other families with similar experiences.
Create a customizable checklist to prepare to take your baby home.
We want to bring you support in your NICU journey.
March of Dimes helps moms and families through every stage of pregnancy and throughout the NICU journey. It’s what we do. My NICU Baby App is available whenever you need it to provide peace of mind, support and information. It can help you cope with your baby’s early birth, complications like birth defects and other issues that may affect a baby in the NICU. See this flyer for more information.
Download the App now in the App Store and Google Play.
BREASTMILK EDUCATION REFERRAL APPS
Don’t compromise your or your baby’s health. Get peace of mind by knowing which medications, vaccines, and supplements are safe for you to take without harming your baby...and which ones aren't!
Pregnant or breastfeeding women are often told to choose between their baby’s health and their own treatment. Many times, there are safe medication options that shouldn’t be overlooked!
With this app, Drs. Thomas Hale and Kaytlin Krutsch bring you the information healthcare providers use in their textbook ‘Medication and Mothers’ Milk’--straight into the hands of moms. They believe moms deserve to know this information; written at a level they can understand. Their InfantRisk Center team at Texas Tech University Health Science Center is known worldwide for 25+ years of research on maternal transfer of drugs to babies.
Features:
-Easy rating system from safest (1) to most hazardous (5)
-Scan medication boxes for safety ratings
-Search over 70,000 drugs and medications
-Easy to use interface
Are you a healthcare provider? Try our more in-depth app, InfantRisk HCP.
Subscription:
Price: $3.99 USD
Duration: 1 Year
Account will be charged for renewal unless canceled within 24 hours of the end date.
Terms of Use: https://www.infantrisk.com/mommymeds-terms-use
Join 100,000+ Hale’s users worldwide who use this up-to-date drug reference guide to empower safe breastfeeding. Featuring over 1,300 drugs, diseases, vaccines and syndromes with LRC, you can quickly identify hazardous drugs when breastfeeding.
Written by a world-renowned expert, Dr. Thomas W. Hale, and new PharmD author, Kaytlin Krutsch, this essential reference contains current, complete, and evidence-based information on the transmission of maternal drugs into human milk. Because so many women ingest medications while breastfeeding, now you can quickly answer the question, “can I take this drug and continue breastfeeding safely?”.
Brought to you by Springer Publishing, this reference app is continuously revised, and now includes 72 completely new and 927 updated medications. Plus, state-of-the-art coverage of multiple diseases, vaccines, and syndromes.
Key Features:
Evidence-based, current information on 1,300+ drugs, diseases, vaccines and syndromes
Dr. Hale’s renowned “Lactation Risk Categories”
NEW TABLES on monoclonal antibodies and migraines
New information on cannabis
Quick search feature
Adult concerns, adult dose, pediatric concerns, infant monitoring, and alternatives
Key points and savvy tips about breastfeeding and medications for quick reference
Succinct information about evaluation of the infant
Common abbreviations and drugs listed in alphabetical order
Get access to all drug entries when you subscribe:
• Hale's Medications & Mothers' Milk - 1 Month: one auto-renewing payment of $5.99
• Hale's Medications & Mothers' Milk - 12 Months: one auto-renewing payment of $59.99
Medications & Mothers' Milk offers two auto-renewing subscription options to help keep you up to date with medical standards.
Tori Meskin BSN RNC-NIC. Nurse. Blogger. Podcaster. Tori has been a clinician since 2012 and works in acute care/inpatient NICU & Pediatric settings in southern California. She is a blogger, podcaster, NICU & Pediatric Critical Care RN, Sponsored Capella University MSN student, & Brave beginnings Ambassador. She has obtained her National NICU Nurse Certification (RNC-NIC) & has previously worked as a travel nurse, pursuing bedside experiences in several NICU settings. Follow her as she shares her NICU journey in married life & juggles work, school, and content creation, & brings you top notch Tips & Tricks along the way. Find her at www.tipsfromtori.com or info@tipsfromtori.com