Write Routine Orders

• This function adds orders to the current active inpatient orders record. It does not add orders to sessions pending activation—pre-admission, post-operative, transfer, and discharge orders.

• If you haven't already:

1. Select the patient.

2. Click Write (ALT+W).

• Prompts for inpatients only:

• If the patient has been admitted from the ED without pre-admission orders, and there are still active orders from the ED, you will be prompted to inactivate the ED orders before continuing. Click Inactivate ED orders (ALT+I).

• If the allergy record was updated in the ED, the order must be resigned. MDs, NPs, PAs, and CNMs are authorized to resign; click Continue (ALT+C), type your signing key when prompted, then click OK (ALT+O). RNs and other staff, who are not authorized to resign, must click OK (ALT+O) and notify an authorized provider that the resign is required.

• Prompts for ambulatory clinics only:

• Type or select the visit date. Click OK (ALT+O).

• Click to select the clinic the patient will visit. Click OK (ALT+O).

• Writing an order:

3. Click the button for the type of order you want.

4. Click Add (ALT+A) or the appropriate order button in the Add New Order section to open the order form.

5. Complete the order form:

• Medications and lab orders (which are too numerous to list) must be selected by searching. See Writing Medication Orders and Writing Orders for Laboratory Testing for details.

• Click to select from drop-down lists .

• Type over, delete, or add to text entries.

• Click to select different options . These are mutually exclusive; selecting one in a group automatically deselects the others.

• Click to check or uncheck items .

• For checkbox or drop-down list selections with additional information, click the button to the right to display the entry form.

• For certain orders, click the labeled button—clinical history, reasons, or restrictions, for example—to open the form for editing. Click OK (ALT+O) to continue.

6. Click OK (ALT+O).

• Consequent orders and interventions:

• Depending on the order, you may be prompted to include other orders. See Overview of Consequent Orders.

• New orders are checked against each other as well as existing orders for conflicts and potential adverse reactions. See Responding to Interventions.

• Complete the order session:

7. Repeat the process for additional orders of that type.

8. Click Close (ALT+C). Your orders are listed in the Orders For This Session scratch pad.

9. Add orders from all types as needed.

• Sign the orders

• See also:

• Procedures for Specific Orders

• Writing or Editing Pre-Admission Orders

• Writing or Editing Day of Procedure Orders

• Writing or Editing Transfer Orders

• Writing or Editing Post-Op Orders

• Completing the Face Sheet, Discharge Orders, and Discharge Instructions