Page 33 - Risk Reduction Series Effective Systems Part 2

SVMIC Risk Reduction Series: Effective Systems

» the source of the authorization for the medication

order should always be documented.

• If an alert/alarm is triggered because of a:

» Contraindication or potential drug interaction with

other medications: note this alert in the record and
document how it was addressed, or why it was over-

ridden.

» Dosing problem (i.e., high dose, wrong route): recheck

dose and name of drug to verify correct medication
was selected from dropdown menu; if correct, note

this alert in the record and document how it was
addressed, or why it was over-ridden.

» Notification that the quantity of medication
prescribed or the duration for which it has been

prescribed exceeds that which is recommended by
the manufacturer: recheck quantity and duration

ordered to verify these were selected accurately
from dropdown menu; if there is a good medical

justification to exceed the recommended dose or
duration, the physician should document such.

By and large, most medication errors are preventable,
particularly when they happen as a result of a poorly designed

or implemented system. Unfortunately, as you will see in the
following scenario, an EHR was inherently flawed and that

flaw was not detected and corrected by the vendor until it was
discovered through the filing of a medical malpractice lawsuit.

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