Drug Chart (Can Nurses Enter Administration Times)

[Bml]

I am taught in nursing school that only doctors can enter the administration times into a drug chart however I constantly finding myself see other nurses write in the administration times (based on the frequency) and am wondering if you do others you know also do this?

[heron, ASN, RN]

Most institutions have standard admin times for different frequencies. 9-1-5 for tid, 9-9 for q12hr, etc. Never heard of docs needing to specify times unless they want something different from institutional routine.

[londonflo]

MDs write specific times, for example, Vancomycin at 8 AM. But otherwise if a medication is written "daily" the hospital has designated an specific AM time for the medication. Meaning when the RN is out with their med carts/pyxis meds, they can pass medications to the entire floor. I have always thought it so contrary to what a nurse has to handle in the AM. Many doctors make rounds at that time, you are constantly pulled away from the job at hand. But changing daily medications to 8:00 AM doesn't help much either. I guess there is not solution to this. 

Usually I worked evenings. 2100 meds went much faster because there were less of them but we did have the PRNs on our cart for sleep etc. until the pyxis era. Now we still get interrupted to run to the pyxis. 

 

[caliotter3]

In extended care home health, unless the MD has specified a certain time, the primary nurse establishes the times in collaboration with the family, based on the patient's usual daily schedule.

[Blatant Shannon]

In what environment do you work? In the hospital setting, the Pharmacy usually puts in the schedule based on the frequency the medication calls for. Doctors can put in timing and nurses can request or change timing based on what was given last or what the plan is for the patient. I highly recommend that you don't touch the timing on anything unless you can back-up that action in court. I always get pharmacy deal with medications and doctors to put in their own efforts. We have a limited scope on medications.

[JKL33]

On 6/28/2021 at 9:59 AM, heron said:

Most institutions have standard admin times for different frequencies. 9-1-5 for tid, 9-9 for q12hr, etc. Never heard of docs needing to specify times unless they want something different from institutional routine.

Ditto. Also have never been exposed to any big to-do regarding nurses writing in times based on frequency if that is how a particular place wishes to do it. It doesn't take a rocket scientist or a pharmacist to time something 6, 8 or 12 hours apart. Some of these ever-increasing legal-esque concerns are sad and simply reinforce my belief that there really are a lot of forces working hard on removing any shred of autonomy. Just continual dumbing down, little by little.

If only doctors could (legally) enter times then there would be no such thing as "q 6 hrs" or "q 12 hrs."