Clinicians in many hospitals use standing order sets to help them quickly select appropriate medications and dosages. This is an example of a standing order set, developed at Fairview Southdale Hospital, for management of epidural analgesia. It was designed for use with an adult patient population. Organizations developing their own standing orders for epidural analgesia may find this example helpful.

Download the tool for complete instructions. You will need to review and modify it before you can test the standard order set in your own organization. For example, ensure that:

• All medications included in the final order set are available in the organization formulary
• Clinicians who might use this set are in agreement with the selections, dosages, and parameters
• The orders are appropriate for the patient population

Related Measures
Percent of Patients Receiving a Specific High-Risk Medication with a Related Adverse Drug Event

Related Changes
Use Pre-Printed Orders with Patient-Controlled Analgesia Pumps
Use Programmable Pumps and Independent Double-Checks for IV Anticoagulants