Reviewer: Lawrence P Carey, BS, PharmD (Temple University School of Pharmacy)
Description: This is a large annual compendium on intravenous medications and how to administer them safely. The book is arranged in alphabetical order to make finding a drug rather easy. A good number of the drugs also have pertinent charts — i.e., dosing in renal function, as well as particular regimens of note (i.e., nausea/vomiting regimens in chemotherapy).
Purpose: The purpose is to provide complete, accurate, and current information in a clear, concise, and accessible tool for healthcare professionals who administer IV medications.
Audience: The intended audience includes nurses in a variety of settings, such as nursing stations, critical care units, and home care, as well as armed services medical personnel and students. The book would be useful for all healthcare professionals who either prepare or administer IV medications. Students and trainees can also benefit, as the information is concise and well formatted. The authors (one nurse and one pharmacist) practice in a hospital environment.
Features: The book covers hundreds of intravenous drugs and for each explains its usual dose, dose adjustment, dilution questions, and compatibilities. It also reviews how the drug works, what it is used for, and any precautions, warnings, side effects, or drug interactions to watch for. This format is both informative and useful, although a bit dry (as these compendiums tend to be — that is not a fault of the authors). The book's best feature is its comprehensive information. It includes several appendixes and charts that are useful, such as a solution compatibility chart in the back of the book for a quick glance. While it is not very "artsy," it is certainly useful. I found the one disadvantage to be the size, only because I like to think of handbooks as pocket-sized. This book is not, but it does offer an online version so you can access the information easily.
Assessment: This is much more comprehensive than other books I have seen for a quick review and/or for more than just compatibility information. Other IV books such as Handbook on Injectable Drugs, 18th Edition (ASHP, 2015) or King Guide to Parenteral Admixtures (King Guide Publications) focus solely on the compatibility issues (and very comprehensively, I might add), but may lack other features such as an overall drug monograph, and they are written primarily for pharmacists. This book contains both features, which is very helpful, and is written for a variety of practitioners. As new drugs are constantly coming on the market, updates are essential; for example, 11 new drugs have been added to this edition.
