Show notes at pharmacyjoe.com/episode20

Most of my pharmacy students are surprised that I look at medications last in my pre-rounding review of ICU patients.

I am constantly tweaking and improving my method for pre-rounding on ICU patients. Here is my current routine for evaluating new ICU patients in preparation for patient care rounds.

Whenever possible I like to be in front of the patient’s room when I evaluate them before rounds. By observing the patient I can see how sick they look, whether they are intubated or have SCDs on. If the NG tube is being used for tube feeding, I know it can be used for meds too. Inadequate sedation or other problems can easily be identified by a brief observation of the patient. Also, being this close to the bedside I am available for nurses to ask me questions and to be side-by-side with the provider as they determine solutions to the patient’s problems.

In this episode, I’ll discuss how I build my pharmacy problem list, use a paper report to supplement the electronic system, list my current 5 step pre-rounding process, and explain how I prioritize which patient to see first.

critical care pharmacy

Episode 20 Preparation For ICU Rounds On A Critical Care Pharmacy Rotation

The Elective Rotation - the #1 Hospital Pharmacy podcast in iTunes - is created for YOU Pharmacy Nation!  If you are a Pharmacy Student, Resident, Pharmacist, or Critical Care Practitioner in a hospital, intensive care unit (ICU) or emergency department looking to improve your practice, The Elective Rotation delivers expert critical care and hospital pharmacy content from a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist. Episodes are published every Monday and Thursday at 3AM EST. Find the show notes at pharmacyjoe.com. 

Episode 20 Preparation For ICU Rounds On A Critical Care Pharmacy Rotation

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