Adjust Dosing for Oral Medications

• Dosing options are provided for several reasons:

• The available strength does not match up exactly with a calculated dose

• You want to give doses in more than one administration, in equal or varying amounts

• Dosing options are required, not optional. The setting is defined as part of the regimen or protocol for selected adult chemo meds. All pediatric PO chemo meds require dosing options.

1. If you haven't already:

• From the chemo folder in the chemo player, click to select the order, then click Dosing Options on the Chemo Med tab.

• For exception orders, click Dosing Options on the Chemo Medication order form.

2. For each dose (up to 6), type an amount. Units are displayed to the left of the field.

3. For each dose (up to 6), click to select an option from the frequency drop-down list. For Other, type a description when prompted, then click OK (ALT+O).

4. For each dose (up to 6), type to indicate which day(s) to schedule the dose. Number days before day 1/day 0 as negative (for example, -3); define a range of consecutive days with the first and last day inclusive, and a colon between (for example, starting on day 1, administering each day through 6, is 1:6).

5. Type instructions as needed.

6. Click OK (ALT+O).

7. If the total amount of the dose or doses you ordered does not add up to equal exactly the total dose calculated for the order, you are required to provide a reason. Check that your order is correct.

• If the reason for the difference is that the available strength of the medication doesn't exactly match the calculated dose, or if you rounded the amount, just click OK. "To accommodate dose rounding/tablet size" is the reason entered by default.

• If you need to add to or change the reason provided, type and/or delete text, then click OK.

• This entry becomes part of the order.

• See also:

• Changing Active Chemotherapy Orders

• Ordering Chemotherapy

• Writing Exception Orders for Chemotherapy

• Overview of Chemo Order Entry