Hi, Susan.  I don't use this product currently, but up until the middle
of April, I was working in a pharmacy college library.  Micromedex was
absolutely indispensible to our students.  It is a tertiary database
that gathers information from many different sources (like the PDR, USP
DI, and many others on pregnancy riskk, dosing, drug interactions, drug
identification, etc.) and puts it all in one database.  It has a drug
identification tool where you enter in color, identifying marks, and
shape of a tablet and it tells you what it is.  The drug interaction
tool allows you to input a series of drugs and/or health supplements a
patient takes and it gives you a report of possible interactions.  I do
remember that it was only available "free" in a cd-rom format that could
be installed on a network and used on any computer on campus.  This was
a bit frustrating for the student who wants to use it at home on their
home computer or their rotation site.  The other stipulation was that it
could only be used for education, not as a clinical tool by practicing
professionals.  I hope this helps.

Barbara

Susan Shelly wrote:

> I've been contacted by a salesperson from Thomson Micromedex about
> their product Micromedex® Healthcare Series CareNotes(tm).  They are
> offering this without cost to our college library.  Even though it's
> "free", as you know all such things involve indirect expenses of
> explaining its use, getting it linked up, directors wanting usage
> statistics, etc.  Further, if it is available on our library web site,
> this implies an automatic stamp of approval by the librarians and
> faculty.
>
> I have the impression they are offering this free to us so when our
> nursing students go into the workplace they will request it from their
> employers. (A  legitimate strategy.) Anyway, I am unfamiliar with this
> product and I'd like to know of anyone else's experience with it.
> Timeliness?  Depth? Quality?  Usability?  Worth it?
>
> Thanks
>
> *******************************
> Susan C. Shelly, MLS
> Librarian, Serials and Services
> GOSHEN COLLEGE
> 1700 South Main Street
> Goshen, Indiana 46526
> 574.535.7637
>