Types of Orders in Acute Care Agencies Flashcards
Standing orders or routine medication orders
A standing order is carried out until the health care provider cancels it by another order or a prescribed number of days elapse. Some standing
orders indicate a final date or number of treatments or doses. e.g. Tetracycline 500 mg PO q6h
Decadron 10 mg daily × 5 days
prn Orders
health care provider orders a medication to be given only
when a patient requires it. Use objective and subjective
assessment (e.g., severity of pain, body temperature) and discretion in
determining whether the patient needs the medication. An example of a
prn order is:
Morphine sulfate 2 mg IV q2h prn for incisional pain
This order indicates that the patient needs to wait at least 2 hours
between doses and can take the medication if experiencing pain at the
incision. When administering prn medications, document assessment
findings to show why the patient needs the medication and the time of
administration. Frequently evaluate the effectiveness of the medication
and record evaluation data appropriately.
Single (One-Time) Orders
Sometimes a health care provider orders a medication to be given once at a
specified time. This is common for preoperative medications or medications given before diagnostic examinations. e.g. Ativan 1mg IV on call to MRI.
STAT Orders
A STAT order signifies that a single dose of a medication is to be given immediately and only once. STAT orders are often written for emergencies
when a patient’s condition changes suddenly. e.g. Apresoline 10mg IV STAT
Now Orders
A now order is more specific than a 1-time order and is used when a
patient needs a medication quickly but not right away, as in a STAT order. When receiving a now order, the nurse has up to 90 minutes to administer
the medication. Only administer now medications 1 time. For example: Vancomycin 1g IV piggyback now
Prescriptions
The health care provider writes prescriptions for patients who are to take
medications outside the hospital.
