Handbook on Injectable Drugs: ASHP's Guide to IV Compatibility and Stability, 20th Edition Doody's Expert Review Review Questionnaire ISBN: 9781585286157 ISBN-10: 158528615X Copyright: 2018 Edition: 20th Author: ASHP, Doody's Expert Review    Score: 96 Doody's Star Rating™ and Doody's Expert Review provide by Doody Enterprises, Inc. Reviewer: Lawrence Carey,  BS, PharmD  (Temple University School of Pharmacy) Description This compendium of compatibilities and stabilities for IV medications is presented in individual drug monographs with lists of drugs that are physically compatible with the drug in question. Each entry is preceded by an explanation discussing products available, how the drug is administered via the intravenous route, and other features of the drug such as osmolarity, effects of light, and pH considerations. The previous edition was published in 2016. Purpose The purpose is to present the research on parenteral medications that will translate into safer products for patients. There are a lot of venues for patient care where IV products are administered. This book provides vast amounts of information in an attempt to keep patients safe. As there have been well publicized fatalities due to contaminated IV products, this is a very worthy objective. This book meets these objectives and has met them excellently since the first edition was published in 1977. Audience The book is written primarily for pharmacists. As a compendium of facts, it may not have a direct purpose for students (although I have used it in one of my classes at a school of pharmacy). The core audience is pharmacists who work on a daily basis with the preparation of IV admixed products, and the book more than meets the needs of this audience. It is written by the editorial staff of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, an organization dedicated to patient safety and the provision of excellent patient care in health systems and hospitals. Features The 391 drug monographs are organized alphabetically and run the gamut of products commonly seen in hospital and health-system practice. Within each monograph, there are several subheadings: products, with details about the size and strength of the drug products available on the market; administration, discussing how drugs are given to patients such as what route of administration is best and how quickly it can be infused; stability, which covers how drugs are stored (i.e., in a refrigerator or at room temperature) and how long they stay "fresh" or therapeutically appropriate for patient use; and compatibility, which lists whether one drug is compatible (or chemically acceptable) to administer concurrently with another drug. This is the meat of the book and, quite frankly, is the reason pharmacy departments purchase it. There are always questions from nurses and other healthcare providers about which drugs can be given together, and this book meets that need. It is a boring book to read, and I say that with the utmost respect; the objective is not to be glitzy, but to present these facts in an easily accessible and applicable fashion, and this book does this very well. It also has an appendix dedicated to parenteral nutrition products. Assessment This book belongs in every pharmacy department. It also belongs in nontraditional areas of pharmacy practice such as home infusion companies and compounding facilities. This is considered the gold standard. There are subscription services, such as King Guide to Parenteral Admixtures, King (King Guide Publications), that have this kind of information, but this book has been a stalwart for over 40 years. With its 3,400 references and specific, easy-to-find information, it is the book to have for dealing with parenteral products. This edition is needed after three years, as there is always new information related to parenteral products. Review Questionnaire Range Question Score 1-10 Are the author's objectives met? 10 1-10 Rate the worthiness of those objectives. 10 1-5 Is this written at an appropriate level? 5 1-5 Is there significant duplication? (1=significant, 5=insignificant) 4 1-5 Are there significant omissions? (1=significant, 5=insignificant) 5 1-5 Rate the authority of the authors. 5 1-5 Are there sufficient illustrations? N/A 1-5 Rate the pedagogic value of the illustrations. N/A 1-5 Rate the print quality of the illustrations. N/A 1-5 Are there sufficient references? 5 1-5 Rate the currency of the references. 5 1-5 Rate the pertinence of the references. 5 1-5 Rate the helpfulness of the index. 5 1-5 If important in this specialty, rate the physical appearance of the book N/A 1-10 Is this a worthwhile contribution to the field? 10 1-10 If this is a 2nd or later edition, is this new edition needed? 8 ©2024 Doody Enterprises, Inc.