NEED HELP

[johsonmichelle]

First semester student here ,doing my pharmacology assignment, need to make sure that I'm properly reading this drug order

FentaNYL/Bupiv HCL/NS/PF 250 ML EP UD SCH

Administration criteria

Continuous rate - 4 ml/hr

Bolus dose - 3 ml

Bolus lockout - 15/min

The FentaNYL and Bupiv HCL are 2 different drugs right? Combination drugs?

Ns - normal saline

PF-?

EP -?

UD- use as directed?

SCH-?

I cant find the meaning of these abbreviation on Google. Anyone experienced nurses tell me what they are? Anyone have reputable links with a wide range of medical abreviations would be helpful.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

I did call, they were of no help

I find that hard to believe. You asked them what the abbreviations were on the label they prepared from the prescription, and they didn't know what they meant?

To chart it, you would indicate as for any other drug: Drug name, route, dose prescribed.

For example, Wondercaine, 100mg/500cc NS, epidural, 50 mcg/kg/min

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

I may have to contact my school, to find out about the rules when it comes to contacting the hospital when its not a clinical day

Oh, OK, then, so you didn't really call them. No need to fib here, we're friendly, and it's a bad habit even though it's soooo easy to slide into.

I am sure there are no restrictions on contacting the pharmacy to ask such a question from your school. Honestly.

I'm starting to wonder if this is a real student question.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

I think it is real and I'm willing to bet that they copied off of a per-printed order sheet....and did not realize the dosages. OR it is another poorly written question....sigh

[johsonmichelle]

Oh, OK, then, so you didn't really call them. No need to fib here, we're friendly, and it's a bad habit even though it's soooo easy to slide into.

I am sure there are no restrictions on contacting the pharmacy to ask such a question from your school. Honestly.

I'm starting to wonder if this is a real student question.

I did call them, the first lady may have just bee busy or maybe it was miscommunication . This is a real student, what makes you think otherwise?. The information is from a printed kardex sheet my instructor gave to me.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

call the floor...ask them. Your instructor gave you incomplete information. The orders should contain the amount of each med in the bag of saline that would yield.... x amount /ml. You don't have enough information to figure how much med is being given to the patient as you do not know what amount is in the bag.

This is a perfect example of what not to do in a hospital because it's incomplete and ambiguous.

For example, when I see "UD," I think "Unit Dose," not "Use as Directed,"

Narcotics are ordered in milligrams (or micrograms in the case of fentanyl) or mg/mcg per hour... it's then up to the pharmacy and the nurse to determine what volume and rate it's to be given in order to attain the ordered dose.

[johsonmichelle]

Additional comment stated on kardex about the medication

5mcg/ml + BUPIV 1/8%

FOR EPIDURAL USE ONLY

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

Perhaps this discussion will help you understand better how to read a medication prescription, label, and medication sheet, and to describe it to someone else.

[johsonmichelle]

Question has been answered by instructor

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

what did she say????

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

We will never know.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

sigh....