principles of safe drug prescribing Flashcards
(62 cards)
what percentage of hospital prescriptions have errors?
7%
what percentage of hospital prescriptions have errors?
7%
why is a prescribing assessment mandatory prior to examination?
8.4-10.3% of prescriptions from F1s/F2 had errors in then
what factors contribute to drug errors?
the heath care professional, the drug and the patient
why do we use pmHx?
past drug history gives us an idea of their conditions - allergies, out of date medication, allergies, regular medications
what is important in prescribing drugs?
right route, right drug, right dose, right patients, right time
what are important considerations in prescribing drugs?
special drug groups and special charts, acute illness, interactions, contraindications and tests and investigations
what do you include on a drug form?
name, dose and unit, frequency, route and form and written in black pen in block capitals - signature and data
what are the drug route abbreviations?
PO - oral IV - intravenous IM - intramuscular SC - subcut PR - rectal PV - vaginal INH - inhaled NEB - nebuliser TOP - topical NG - nasogastric
what does OA stand for?
on admission - if a patient needs drugs as they arrive
what do the abbreviations for drugs frequency stand for?
OD - once daily BD - twice daily TDS - three times a day QDS - four times a day OM - morning ON - night PRN - when required
what happens with drugs that are given not via oral route?
must be checked by two qualified people
what must you do when giving any drug?
monitor the patient for an adverse reaction and know how to respond in this case
what does the BNF tell you?
life support, palliative care, medical emergencies in the community, interactions, conditions, treatment summaries, routes and doses of drugs
what is used to calculate the draw up volume of a liquid drug?
use the concentration (weight or units) of drug (on the vial) and the amount of drug prescribed (on chart)
what is the equation for volume required?
volume required = (dose required/dose you have) x quantity/ volume it comes in
what is sometimes done to make a drug easier to titrate?
drug may be diluted into a higher volume
what is a rare complication of paracetamol?
hepatotoxic in overdose
how can paracetamol be given?
oral, IV, PR
how many preparations of paracetamol are there?
tablets, capsules, soluble tablets, oral suspensions
what are the indications of salbutamol?
premature labour, reversible airways construction or asthma
what is the main side effect of salbutamol?
fine tremor
what is the starting dose for salbutamol?
100-200 micrograms QDS
what is amoxicillin used for?
it is a broad spectrum antibiotics for respiratory, ear and urine infection
