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A chemotherapy standard order form: preventing errors
K B Opfer1, D M Wirtz, K Farley
1Medical Oncology Division, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL, USA.
Purpose/Objectives:
To describe the development and implementation of one approach to standardize and document chemotherapy orders for patients in the acute-care setting.
Data Sources:
Multidisciplinary team, Oncology Nursing Society standards of care, clinical experience, and published literature.
Data Synthesis:
To avoid errors in ordering, dispensing, and administering chemotherapy that may have the potential for serious adverse patient outcomes, a standardized order sheet was developed to consistently document information regarding chemotherapy ordering and administration throughout the hospital. Each component of the form is essential in promoting safety and efficiency in the chemotherapy ordering and administration process.
Conclusion:
A standardized approach dramatically improved ordering, dispensing, and administering chemotherapy. Multidisciplinary verification and documentation of dose and schedule helps reduce chemotherapy-related errors.
Implications For Nursing Practice:
The chemotherapy order sheet saves time and is comprehensive and consistent. Use of the order sheet also has increased interdisciplinary collaboration and assisted all members of the team in documenting required information.