Order Therapeutic Drugs Levels

Step-by-step instructions on ordering and collecting Therapeutic Drug Levels such as Gentamicin, Tobramycin, Vancomycin, and Amikacin.

• When therapeutic drug level orders are entered into Powerchart, a task will be generated for the peak, trough or random test.  This task will appear on the Activities and Interventions Form.  
• The test will not specify a date and time, but will read which medication dose the drug level is associated with followed by the word “task.” 
  Example: Vancomycin Peak & Trough with 3^rd dose Task. 
• Identify the dose associated with the lab draw by noting the order, date, and time. Then, refer to the MAR for the expected administration time. 
• Communicate the date and time for the therapeutic level at nurse hand off until it is obtained. 
• If the drug level was ordered for a dose that is more than 24 hours in the future, the order may be auto-cancelled by the lab system. In this case, the nurse will need to cancel/reorder the test in order to print the specimen label.

Canceling or Reordering Therapeutic Drugs

• Select the drug level lab order when lab is due to be drawn. 
• Right click on the lab order and select cancel/reorder. 
  
   
   
• Select “Written” as the order communication type. 
• Refresh. 
• Select Activities and Interventions Form. 
• Task off lab order. 
  
   
   
• Tasking off will fire the order into Softlab and generate the label. 
• Nurse collect units will draw their own specimen. 
• Non-nurse collect units will call the lab to notify them that the test needs to be drawn.

IMPORTANT: Be careful NOT to task off on these drug levels before you cancel/reorder. The label may not print and Softlab may not see the order.