Most Ridiculous Med Order

Specialties Emergency

Published

  • Specializes in POCU/PACU, Hospice.

What is the most ridiculous med order you've seen written by a doc in the ER (either an ER doc or an attending planning to admit his pt)? I had a a doc order 2 MG of Dilaudid IVPwith a 2nd dose in 30 min for a broken (mildly) arm. I thought that was a lot...pt was going home, not admitted for surgery or anything.

MendedHeart

663 Posts

MD ordered Isopropyl Alcohol topical to extremities for fever...lol. Old school treatment and was contraindicated in patient

MaryAnnD

17 Posts

Specializes in ICU.

Had a Dr prescribe Radio 4, prn on a drug chart.

Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

After a nurse charted "Patient consumed entire meal tray" our doc wrote "Examine stool for silverware". He was a doozy.

studentnurse47

109 Posts

Oh my!

Purple_roses

1,763 Posts

After a nurse charted "Patient consumed entire meal tray" our doc wrote "Examine stool for silverware". He was a doozy.

And if someone *did* actually consume an entire tray of forks, knives and spoons, he would just wait for the person to poop it out?

jsbartl

18 Posts

I just had a nurse tell me that a Doc accidently ordered a patient 120 pills of 2mg Dilaudid as a prescription. Luckily the nurse caught the error before he gave the patient the prescription. Can't imagine giving someone that many pills!

annie.rn

546 Posts

After a nurse charted "Patient consumed entire meal tray" our doc wrote "Examine stool for silverware". He was a doozy.

Although obnoxious, I think that order is awesome...ha,ha! I often catch myself charting things that, when I think them over, realize could be interpreted the wrong way. The other day I almost charted "pt. had large BM on day shift". But, that's a whole 'nother thread.

silverbat

617 Posts

Specializes in Care Coordination, MDS, med-surg, Peds.

I woke a dr up at night once for a Pain med. He ordered atropine, even spelled it slowly for me. I called him right back and asked him if he meant Demerol and he said oh, yeah, what did I order? When I told him, he said oh my, Good night!!

Specializes in Emergency/Trauma/Critical Care Nursing.

A former coworker of mine went to battle with a resident who ordered, and demanded the nurse to administer a rectal Tylenol suppository ORALLY! I don't know if it became a pride issue for him after being called out on the order, or what, but he refused to change it to PO, despite the pt being A&O. Needless to say, he didn't complete his residency (not his first error), and he was in his final year.

Specializes in L&D, OR, ICU, Management, QA-UR, HHC.

Had an elderly physician who covered nights in rural small OB. Not sure who thought that was a good idea. But he was quite the horticulturist. He grew award winning roses and Africian violets. Anyway one night I called him about an early labor patient who was freaking out and expecting an order for Vistaril or some such. (this was decades ago). He said to give her a dose of urea and back off on the mag. Make sure she's not in direct sunlight. I tried talking to him for a few minutes because I knew he wouldn't hang up the phone properly and I wouldn't be able to call him again. Finally he woke up enough to give me a Vistaril order. I wrote the first order on an order sheet and left for him to sign the next day. He was not amused. I thought it was hysterical.

Ruby Vee, BSN

17 Articles; 14,030 Posts

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

Not a med order, but pretty ridiculous:

"Flower care Q 24 hours." (Resident was concerned that we weren't taking care of the patient's floral arrangements properly. Solved that one by informing resident and patient that floral arrangements are not allowed in the ICU, and the husband was free to take them home.)

"Dopamine 5 mcg/kg/min FOREVER!!!!!!!!" (Order took up a whole page in the order book and was followed by 28 -- we counted them -- exclamation points. "Forever" was underlined in red three times, and the last time the pen went completely through the paper.)

"Heparin bolus, 50,000 units stat." (Um, that would be two entire heparin drips. Five vials of 1:10000 heparin. And she's already bleeding in pleuevacs per hour.)

"Please remove 40 liters by the time the patient comes off bypass." (In the OR, called down to dialyze a patient who was getting a heart transplant and wasn't doing well. There was blood everywhere -- 360 degrees around the room at waist height and the intestines were in a plastic bag on top of the patient. I knew the patient well, and he sure looked like he was 40 liters up, but ultrafiltrating that much off in the hour they predicted he'd be on bypass just is not possible. Or smart.)

Or one of my personal favorites: "Nurse to bathe patient before resident sees."

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