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We received plenty of stories worthy of winning the MPR Everywhere Contest, but unfortunately we could only have one winner. Here are the Honorable Mention submissions.
Last year I was in Ethiopa adopting a 13 yr old girl into our family. Her father, a missionary doctor, died of cerebral malaria while working in the outskirts of Africa treating patients. Being as my adopted daughter spoke the local language, we visited many orphanages and turned our adoption trip into a mini medical missions trip. One day our daughter asked if we would like to see where her father had worked. We took a cab to “Sisters of Charity” Missions and while touring the facility, were approached by a 3rd year German Medical Student. She told us of a child that was there with end stage cancer who was there vomiting and in pain. She explained that she was trying to write for medication for him but did not know what med would be best and how to dose it for pediatrics. I carried a copy of MPR with me and even had a digital copy. Thanks to MPR, I was able to help this med student write orders for pain meds and nausea dosed for pediatrics. I even left my paper copy with the Medical Student which was greatly appreciated. Thanks MPR!
Dr Paul Mikus
Hello MPR! Here is my MPR Everywhere story. I am a paramedic and I have the MPR application on my Blackberry. I find myself constantly looking up patients prescribed medications with MPR. This is especially useful in elderly patients who may be unable to fully understand and tell me what health problems they face. I can look at their medication bottles and if there are any I am unfamiliar with, I look them up with MPR and find out what condition each medication is prescribed for. The most beneficial MPR has proved to be for me is during a situation when a patient has overdosed on a prescribed medication that I am unfamiliar with. In a few situations such as this, I have used MPR to research the medication a patient overdosed on which then lets me know which medication I can administer to reverse the medication which has been overdosed or what procedure I can perform to treat the presenting symptoms if there is no antidote medication. In one particular case, this ability helped me saved a patients life with an antidote medication as opposed to more invasive procedures that would have been necessary that would have resulted in a longer recovery time for the patient. Thank you MPR for assisting me with my career as a paramedic!
Daniel Wagoner
EMT-Paramedic and satisfied MPR user
I have used MPR for ten years or more…I have used the MPR frequently on my mission trips to Acuna Mexico. There are usually limits on power supply there, and this causes me to try and conserve what “power” I do have for emergencies..I was trained using textbooks, so I am familiar with that format. I enjoy the manual use of my hands in looking something up. So, a handy palm size reference is always welcome. The MPR fits that to a tee. The data is always current, and the information concise and easy to read. I have an android phone, so I cannot utilize the MPR in that fashion-yet! I see it’s on the way though…Looking forward to that.
Typically we set up shop in a church, but on occasion have set up in a small colonia with no power or running water. We bring in our own supply of medicine, and have a fully staffed pharmacy and triage area.
We bring along interpreters to allow us to converse with our patients.
This is medicine at it’s best, helping people who have no other way to receive care. Many of the patients have benefited from my use of the MPR. It’s a challenge, even with the MPR, to identify some of the medications our patients are taking. Medications in Mexico are sometimes much different from what we prescribe in the USA. A large majority of our patients count on our quarterly visits as that is the only time they receive any health care-this includes the medicine we give for free.The Mexican people we treat are always so appreciative of our help, and I do my best to educate them about the condition we are treating. I also attempt to educate them about the medications I am prescribing. The MPR is a great help here, as I can use it to explain indications, and demonstrate side effects or show a list of dosing alternatives. Access is something they don’t have, and as Americans we are frequently guilty of taking that for granted. I enjoy treating my patients, and look forward to seeing them again. The MPR allows me to do my job proficiently, and expertly, and I use it constantly. Thanks for producing such a great product, my patients and I both thank you.
Sincerely,
James Koch LEMT-P, PA-C
I always travel with my MPR and it once unplugged a long clog at the Canadian border. We had been driving all day and were not happy with the long line forming at the border so I went to the Canadian Officer and asked what the cause was. It seems someone had a bottle of pills that were “so new we don’t have a record of what they are”. The computers were down and they were waiting for a phone call from someone. I whipped out the MPR, found the listing and they copied it for their records and the line started moving.
Thanks MPR
Ann Hirschman
Dear MPR Anywhere Contest,
While enjoying a summer outing, my 6 year old niece fell and injured her arm. With not many supplies available, I retrieved my MPR from the car and used it to stabilize her arm and hold it still. I was glad that I kept my copy in my car for quick reference; the sturdy little book came in handy and was just the right size to encircle her little arm. Thanks to an unconventional way of using Monthly Prescribing Reference, it helped make a bad sprain more bearable.
H. Brejt, M.D.
About 4 years ago my wife and I plus 2 other couples took a vacation in San Miguel de Allende in Mexico. While there my wife became acutely ill and we went to the ER of one of the local hospitals. Eventually everything turned out OK. While in the ER I noticed a 4 year old volume of the PDR and I mentioned to the on call physician that I would be more than glad to send them my most recent edition, as more often than not I always seemed to have more than one.
She was very grateful for the offer, but said if I could send the monthly issues of MPR that would be even appreciated more than the PDR. She said in a busy ER they were more functional, concise and as clinically useful a reference for medications, old and new, as anything available. I continued to honor her request as often as possible.
So you see your influence and help has wandered far and wide. Keep up the good work
Sincerely,
John L. Weinstock MD
