Good morning, All!
We have a question regarding verbal orders for controlled substances from one
of our members and would appreciate your feedback on these specific practices.
1. Who is responsible to enter the order into the electronic medical
record for an emergency verbal order for a controlled substance? Is it the
provider or the nurse that enters the verbal order into the electronic health
record?
2. If the provider is the one that has to enter the verbal order given
into the electronic medical record, how long does the provider have to do this
(24 hours, 48 hours, or some other time frame)?
3. If the provider is the one that has to enter the verbal order given
into the electronic medical record, and fails to do so, is the nurse then
instructed to enter the verbal order?
4. If the nurse is the one that has to enter verbal order into the
electronic health record, would you know which bargaining unit your nurses
belong to (NYSNA, 1199, other)?
5. If you audit controlled substance transactions and find an instance
where there are controlled substances withdrawn by a nurse and you cannot find
an associated order (because it was a verbal order but neither the provider or
the nurse entered that verbal order into the electronic health record), what
action do you take?
Thank you for your time and input!
Sincerely,Sudha Narayanaswamy, PharmD, BCPP, BCGP, DPLAAcurity, Inc.
