Neonatal Gentamicin Chart
A prescription chart developed to standardise the prescription and administration of gentamicin in neonatal patients.
We identified 36 hourly dosing of gentamicin was difficult to prescribe on standard charts, resulting in multiple prescribing errors surrounding administration times in neonatal and post-natal prescription for suspected or confirmed sepsis.
Different units were trying various strategies, including excel-based calculators producing a printed description.
Aim
To develop a standardised way to safely prescribe and administer gentamicin to neonates.
Description
The tool has been implemented and the prescription chart is now in use in the trust for gentamicin. An error reduction rate has not yet been assessed.
We are adding a ‘day’ column as well as date to further clarify administration times. We also advise all staff to avoid midnight/midday prescription times as these can add confusion.
We are looking at error numbers according to incident reports but it has been difficult to compare to previous periods as there was no IT reporting system in place when the tool was first launched.
Tool lead: Dr E Blanshard, Paediatric Medication Safety Leadership Fellow; Dr David Gibson; Dr Srilatha Naik
Organisation: Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust