Admissions: Administering Medications from the Medication Chart

The Medication Chart provides a central place to view, manage, and administer patient medications. This article outlines the key features of the chart, including navigation tools, chart icons and colours, medication administration workflows, and different medication type behaviours.

Use this guide to better understand how to interpret medication statuses, administer medications correctly, and navigate the Medication Chart efficiently.

 Contents:

1. Navigating the Medication Chart
2. Charting Colours & Icons
3. Administering Medications from the Medication Chart
4. Medication Type Differences in Administration

Navigating the Medication Chart

The medication chart contains a lot of information and features. The screenshot and definitions below provide some quick tips on how to navigate through the medication chart.

1. Change the chart view between 1, 3, or 7 days. 
2. Jump to today's date.
3. Move forward or backward through chart dates.
4. Select a specific date from the calendar.
5. Show or hide ceased medications on the chart.
6. Today's date is highlighted with a blue underline.
7. View and adjust the patient's height and weight.
8. Expand or collapse medication categories.

Charting Colours & Icons

	The medication is not scheduled for administration at the selected date or time. This is typically because the medication is not due at that specific time, or because the medication has a prescribed end date and administration is no longer available after that date.
	The medication is overdue by more than 75 minutes.
	Displayed in the following scenarios: 75 minutes before administration time. At administration time. 75 minutes after administration time.
	The medication administration is more than 12 or 24 hours overdue, depending on system configuration.
	Displayed for PRN medications that have not yet been administered.
	PRN medication administered. Displays the administering user’s initials, administration time, and dose given.
	Medication administered. If the medication was administered early or late, the administering clinician’s initials and administration time will be displayed.
	Indicates a reason for a "not given" medication administration. Hover over the icon to view details.

Administering Medications from the Medication Chart

Medications can be easily administered directly from the Medication Chart.

1. Open the Medications section of the patient's admission, and select Chart.
2. Locate the medication you need to administer, and the Administration times that have been set beside it.
3. Click into the appropriate Administration time-slot to open the Administration window
   
    
4. If the medication has been Given, enter the following fields and then click Save:
   • Administered Date - this will default to the current date.
   • Administered Time - this will default to the current time.
   • Administered Dose - this preloads from the Medication record but can be changed.
   • Administered Route - this preloads from the Medication record and cannot be changed.
   • Checked By - a second user who witnessed the administration event. This is typically required for medications that require independent double checking, e.g. Schedule 8 medications.
   • Comments - used to record any additional information relating to the administration event. Comments become mandatory when a medication is administered early (more than 75 minutes before the due time) or late (more than 75 minutes after the due time).
      
5. If the medication was Not Given, select the Not Given tab, choose a Reason, enter Comments if required, and click Save.
   
   
    
6. If the medication was administered within the Due window, the initials of the user who administered the medication will be displayed in the time-slot. If the medication was administered earlier or later than the due time, then the initials of the user who administered the medication and the time and date of the administration will be displayed in the time-slot. Hovering over the initials will display more information.
   
    
7. If the medication was not administered, an icon will be displayed in the administration time-slot to indicate why it was not given. You can hover over the icon for more information.
   

Medication Type Differences in Administration

PRN Medications

PRN medications are displayed without administration times in the Medication Chart. If a PRN medication has never been administered to the patient, it will display "Not given yet" in the Medication Chart in a white (available) administration cell. To administer the PRN medication, simply click into the white cell and complete the administration.

If the PRN medication has been administered to the patient previously, the next available administration cell will display the last dose and the date and time it was administered. You can then click into the cell to complete the administration.

Once Only and Nurse Initiated Medications and Pre-Medications

Once Only medications have different behaviour based on the Frequency selected when prescribing the medication:

• If the Frequency of the medication was manually set with a Date and Time, an administration slot will be created at the Date and Time that were set. The medication will still need to be administered.
• If the Frequency of the medication were set to Immediately, an administration slot will be available beside the medication. The medication will still need to be administered.
• If the Frequency of the medication were set to Immediately and Administer Now, the medication is automatically administered and then ceased, and will not be shown on the Medication Chart (unless Ceased medications is ticked above the Medication Chart).

Telephone Orders

Telephone order medications require approval by the nominated prescriber within 24 hours, in line with most organisational policies. After creating a telephone order, a Clinical Action is sent to the selected prescriber, to notify them that approval.

The prescriber will need to return to the Medication Chart and approve the Telephone order by selecting the ellipsis (•••) next to the medication, and selecting Approve. 

The medication can then be administered by selecting the unlocked administration cell.

If a Telephone Order has not been approved within 24 hours and has not been administered, the order will display as Expired on the Medication Chart and must be manually ceased to remove it from the active chart.

For instructions on ceasing medications, please see Admissions: Editing & Ceasing Medications.

Editing an Administration Record

An administration record can only be edited by the user who created it, provided it is within 12 or 24 hours from the time it was created (based on your lockout rules configured during onboarding). To edit an administration record, click into the administration cell you wish to change, make the necessary adjustments, and then click Save. 
 

Related Reading

• Admissions: Editing & Ceasing Medications
• Admissions: Prescribing Medications
• Admissions: Intravenous Infusion Charting (IV)