Patient care location restrictions on IV meds

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Gregory Mak
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Joined: 08/23/2021 - 11:42
Patient care location restrictions on IV meds

Hello,

Curious to see if other organizations find challenges in ensuring that meds which are restricted to certain floors/levels of care (e.g. ICU only, telemetry only) are not accidentally ordered/inadvertently given on floors where they are not allowed (e.g. a med restricted to ICU is ordered and given on a normal med-surg floor)

What strategies have organizations implemented to minimize this risk for error? My institution has a comprehensive IV guide detailing which IV meds have restrictions for where they can be given (e.g. IV phenobarb only in ICU and epilepsy units), however that is the only resource we have and is certainly not easy to memorize. Have sites been successful in EMR enhancements that flag providers if ordering a med not appropriate for the unit/care area the patient is in?