Newborn Emergency Medication Book saving little lives
A new publication, the Newborn Emergency Medication Book has just been released thanks to a clinical collaboration between Monash Medical Centre Paediatric ED and Monash Newborn.
The creation of this publication has been led by Megan Clark, Clinical Pharmacist, Dr Risha Bhatia, Deputy Director of Monash Newborn, Kate Duthie, Nurse Manager at Monash Newborn and Dr Simon Craig, Paediatric Emergency Medicine Physician. Support was also provided by nursing employees from Monash Newborn and final year medical students at Monash University.
This book is designed to reduce medication errors in the high-stress setting of the initial resuscitation and ongoing care of a critically ill newborn which will provide valuable support for the Monash Newborn team.
Dr Risha Bhatia, Deputy Director of Monash Newborn, said, “this collaboration between Monash Newborn and ED has resulted in a book that we hope will be of benefit to unwell infants as well as the teams caring for vulnerable infants in extremely challenging circumstances. It has been a privilege to work with this team.”
Megan Clark has recently been recognised for her extensive work on this book, receiving the William Mercer Young Achiever award from the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia (SHPA).
“When we identified a gap in neonatal emergency resuscitation, we set out to write this book to help reduce medication errors in a high-stress environment. It is an incredible feeling to see this come to fruition after 2 years and I feel very grateful to be part of an amazing team. I am honoured to have received this award from the SHPA for my contribution to this project,” Ms Clark said.
The publication is designed to be utilised anywhere newborns are cared for, and in a variety of clinical settings such as in theatres, the emergency departments, the post-natal wards, special care nurseries and the neonatal intensive care unit. It is available on all neonatal resuscitation trolleys across the organisation.
The publication builds on the success of the Monash Children’s Paediatric Emergency Medication Book which has sold more than 800 copies to hospitals across Australia, and has recently been adapted internationally.
