Implement Pharmacy-Based Dosing

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Implement Pharmacy-Based Dosing

Last Modified: 04/28/2011

A patient’s age, weight, and laboratory test results all come to bear on the selection and adjustment of medication dosing. Pharmacists have the clinical training to review this patient information and determine appropriate doses. A process for pharmacy-based dosing for certain medications gives prescribers more time for other clinical activities and may decrease the risk of certain errors. This process also saves time for pharmacists who can adjust doses themselves, according to the clinical needs of the patient, instead of waiting to get this information from the physician before proceeding.

Tips

Build physician support by implementing protocols or guidelines to define parameters for pharmacy-based dosing.
Start using pharmacy-based dosing with one high-risk medication to test the process and demonstrate its benefits.
Adopt pharmacy-based dosing only for appropriate medications approved by the physicians.

Assign Pharmacists to Patient Care Units
When pharmacists are on patient care units full-time, they are a greater resource to nurses, physicians, and patients than when they’re in the pharmacy department.
Have Pharmacists Determine All Doses for Renal Patients
Impaired renal function increases the risk of adverse drug events, such as toxicity from medications, so have pharmacists determine dosages for all renal patients.
Improve Core Processes for Administering Medications
Well-designed administering processes minimize the risk of failures and errors, both of which can lead to adverse drug events (ADEs).
Improve Core Processes for Ordering Medications
Core processes for ordering medications have become enormously complex, and the risk of errors and process failures has grown in turn.

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