Accreditation

Tip of the Week: Monitoring the patient’s first dose

Accreditation Connection, August 15, 2005

"If you have a solid overall monitoring system in place, then you won't need to change anything," says Hoying. "EP 3, in my opinion, exists to bring a greater awareness to the patient's monitoring needs."

During a recent mock survey at Fairview, surveyors stated that if the hospital had a total number of adverse drug reaction reports that equaled 3% of all discharges, the organization demonstrated effective monitoring, Hoying says.

The nurse administering the medication, first dose or not, should monitor the patient according to his or her specific clinical needs. This should be done regardless of what dose it happens to be, Hoying says.

When monitoring a patient, the nurse should look for specific signs based on: the class of drug, previous lab results and assessments, allergies, renal function, drug-to-drug reactions, and vital signs.

For example, if a nurse administers a blood pressure medication that requires an hour to take effect, the nurse should be aware that any possible side effects will not be apparent within the typical 15-minute time frame.

Adapted from the August issue of Hospital Pharmacy Regulation Report.

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