How does your facility store/dispense flammable medications such as benzocaine aerosol?

Is anyone using multidose insulin vials, kept in medication rooms and not brought to the patient bedside, to be used on more than one patient, provided the nurse is following proper infection control practices when drawing up the dose in the medication room? If so, I would like to hear from you what the nursing workload is like in regards to bar code scanning of the medication and if you employ any independent double checks as well. Thanks!

The P&T committee has requested a policy and procedure be developed regarding ambulatory pumps and use of these pumps while inpatient. Our first priority is insulin and then we shall be expanding the policy to include other ambulatory pumps. Does anyone have a policy and procedure they are willing to share?

Thank you!
Laura Herbrechtsmeier, RPh

laura.herbrechtsmeier@wfhc.org

Hi All,
We are wondering how everyone is handling the administration of ampho B bladder irrigation. Unlike other bladder irrigations, it is infused at a prescribed rate (42 mL/hr). Nursing has been using IV pumps to control the rate. Unfortunately, there is no irrigation tubing available compatible with the IV pump so the nurses have created a workaround by using modified IV tubings for this purpose. We are obviously not comfortable with this so we wonder how everyone else is handling this.
1. Is ampho B bladder irrigation still used in your facility?

Greetings,

We have been having issues with our lab and nursing coordinating the appropriate time to draw medication levels (mainly vancomycin). On most occasions, the medication is infusing while the the lab is being drawn. All lab and medication orders are timed appropriately. Our hospital uses Cerner for our healthcare information system. I would like to have the ability to place a level reminder on the MAR to alert the nurse that a level has been ordered. I was wondering if any hospital has had this similar issue and how it was fixed.

Thanks,

Jim Galasso

Good Morning,

We are considering changing our practice on the way we dispense warfarin. We currently dispense it patient specific as part of our protocol for patient safety goal 3E. We are now considering loading it into our pyxis. Wondering how others are doing this and if any concerns/issues have come to light if your facility uses pyxis for dispensing.

Thank you,
Kelly Estremera, RPh, BCPS
Bangor, ME

Hello,

I am inquiring about a specific IV room practice. We have a technician who likes to use the Decapper Pliers to remove the top rubber stopper portion from the IV vial when preparing IV products in the hood. And a pharmacist who is vehemently against this practice.

The tech is effectively turning the vial into an ampule, and the vial is used for a single dose. However, it does add an extra step to the compounding process and creates an open system (even if it is being done in the hood).

If you have a Cardiac Cath Lab that uses the Impella catheter device, would you be able to share your clinical procedure for heparin infusion via the Impella catheter?
thank you!
Susan

Hi,

I'm working on a project with a pharmacy student and would greatly appreciate any articles/info/data/policies about errors associated with patients using their own supply of meds in the hospital.

I would like to find out if you require documentation of lot# and expiration date when dispensing or administering IVIG?
thank you!
Susan