In regional and rural settings the warfarin dose is frequently advised by telephone order. How should this be documented on the NIMC?
A. The NIMC is not specifically designed to cater for this scenario at present. It has been suggested that the warfarin section within the ‘regular medications’ section might be adapted for this purpose as it possible for two nurses to countersign the documented warfarin dose. The prescriber may then sign below the corresponding dose in the same way as would occur for telephone orders. Using the chart in this way will ensure that the INR doses and trends can be easily reviewed, whilst legislative requirements for telephone orders are adhered to.
