Hello,

For those using barcode scanning technology for medication order preparation and verification during dispensing (e.g., Dispense Prep and Dispense Check in Epic, DoseEdge by Baxter):
1) What is/are your adherence targets (e.g., 85%? 95% adherence)?
1a) Is/are your target(s) for preparation and/or verification?
2) How did you determine those targets?
3) What are barriers to achieving the targets?

Thanks in advance!

RE: MTX Best Practice - Require a hard stop verification of an appropriate oncologic indication for all daily oral methotrexate orders

Our organization uses EPIC. Has anyone built in their ordering system a hard stop that requires the user to input an indication for daily MTX orders and are willing to share your build and/or learnings?

Thank you in advance!
Rachelle Albay, PharmD
Project Manager, Pharmacy Quality and Medication Safety

We are a small pediatric hospital in NY and having issues with programming standard concentrations with Alaris. I was wondering if someone is willing to help us out, please.

We are trying to program standard concentrations like gentamicin 4mg/mL and Cefepime 40mg/mL in Alaris but according to Alaris the only way to program these weight-based pediatric entries is to use __ __ blank entries with limits programmed in the background.

Please share if you know any standard definition for acute/chronic definition from medication perspective. I understand there is acute and chronic definition of diseases perspective. Thanks in advance

Does anyone know of any EPIC functionalities, or that are compatible with EPIC that alerts users when new labs/PK levels/cultures are posted?

We recently had a safety event where RN hung a patient's next vanco bag when the trough was 29. We do have a MAR comment that instructs to hang the next bag but notify pharmacy if level > 20, but this got missed and the pharmacist may also not see it right away. Just wondering if anyone has practices of actively being alerted of labs at their facilities. Thank you!

Anyone have a written SOP and/or Policy relating to storing leeches in the Pharmacy with or among drugs that they're willing to share.

There doesn't seem to be much in the literature limiting "or" recommending it be stored or "not stored" in the same refrigerators as medications.

Just one of those low frequency issues! ( Use of leeches - maybe "once every year or two").

Thanks,
DiAnthia

For those out there that use EPIC; have any of your organizations turned off/disabled the foundation build HOLD functionality from the orders activity? There are concerns of how easy it is to put a med on hold indefinitely vs. say a policy that requires meds to be discontinued if held for > 1 dose.

Wondering if any of your facilities require a separate PCA competency be performed prior to allowing residents authority to order PCAs

We are a teaching facility and have high input of new medical staff. We started this program prior to full implementation and optimization of CPOE PCA ordersets and alaris library and are starting to wonder if the return on investment for separate training is still justifiable.

The training program is quite labor intensive and is having trouble getting all new staff competency checked prior to them starting their rotations.

Does anyone have limitations to who can reconcile, update or add new allergies to admitted patients? and what fields are required? Currently we have 3 fields required: allergy type, severity and reaction and in an assessment found we never had all 3 documented. Looking to improve our process by creating a policy.

thanks,

Jess

All,
I am interested to see how hospitals are complying with JCAHO's National Patient Safety Goal 03.06.01: "Compare the medication information the patient brought to the hospital with the medications ordered
for the patient by the hospital in order to identify and resolve discrepancies.
Note: Discrepancies include omissions, duplications, contraindications, unclear information, and changes. A qualified individual, identified by the hospital, does the comparison."