Scenario: 32-year-old male patient comes to the ER with complaints of cough and shortness of breath. During the nurse triage, the patient is noted to have a high fever. Patient is moved to a room for further assessment and treatment. A physician orders chest x-ray to verify if the patient has pneumonia. The result comes back, and the physician feels the need to place the patient on routine of Vancomycin. The pharmacist verifies the order acknowledging the patient’s allergies and dispensing the drug. When the nurse receives the Vancomycin in the ER, she administers the drug as soon as she can. The patient is stabilized and as soon as a bed becomes available, he is moved to inpatient. This patient has a positive outcome.
Health Protocol: When ordering a certain antibiotic, blood culture is needed as a baseline before the medication is administered. If the patient comes to the ER and complains about having a cough, fever, and/or shortness of breath, then the hospital/physician must order a chest x-ray and blood culture (the results come back in 2-3 days). The medications must be verified by the pharmacist before administration (which includes dose, route, and indication) that is following the hospital protocol. This hospital does have a fully functional EMR.
What is the gap in treatment for this patient?
What is the primary solution for the gap?
What is the independent check for the gap?
How to make your primary solution reliable?
What balancing measures would you consider reviewing as part of your post-implementation metrics?