Conditional orders

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Cicely Williams
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Joined: 02/26/2013 - 10:56
Conditional orders
Hello Everyone, Our institution went live with CPOE about a year ago. Since that time we have had a few serious medication events arising from conditional orders. For example, a physician may enter an order for anticoagulation such as Lovenox 40 mg subcut daily but in the comment field include "if okay with cardiology". Pharmacy is unsure as to which cardiologist to call and nursing is thinking that pharmacy is calling to clarify. In the end, the patient may receive a medication at the wrong time or not receive a key medication for treatment. How are other institutions handling the processing of conditional orders?