Weight! Weight! … Don’t Tell Me!

Weight-based, lifesaving medications are commonly used in hospitals and routinely used in emergency departments.1 Many weight-based medications are listed in the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) high-alert medication list. According to ISMP, “high-alert medications are drugs that bear a heightened risk of causing significant patient harm when they are used in error.”2 These frequently used medications include anticoagulants (eg, heparin and enoxaparin), antibiotics for septic shock (eg, vancomycin and tobramycin), fibrinolytic agent s for stroke (eg, alteplase), and antiepileptic drugs (eg, phenytoin and fosphenytoin).
Source: Journal of Emergency Nursing: JEN - Category: Nursing Authors: Tags: Danger Zone Source Type: research