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Check more than just medication orders for unapproved abbreviations

Pharmacy Regulation Resource, April 1, 2004

Pharmacy staff usually catch the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations' (JCAHO) unapproved abbreviations on medication orders. Make sure someone in your organization checks patient medical records for the unapproved abbreviations as well.

 

While unapproved abbreviations may appear most frequently in medication orders, the JCAHO bans nine abbreviations in all clinical documentation, including the patient's medical record.

 

Unapproved abbreviations may appear in numerous clinical documents, says Liese Harter, quality improvement specialist at Meriter Hospital in Madison, WI.  They include

  • patient profile and nursing admission assessment
  • anesthesia history
  • blood glucose monitoring flow sheets
  • medication administration record
  • progress notes

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