Critical Care Order Sets

EPR contains a set of pre-built Critical Care order sets. Each one bundles the drugs you commonly need for a particular situation, with the correct formulation, dose range, route, vascular access and frequency already filled in.

Using them — rather than searching for and building each drug individually — means:

• The right preparation (e.g. the critical-care-only infusion strength) is selected every time
• Dose ranges, units, routes and rates match the unit’s agreed protocols
• Nothing gets missed, and prescribing is quicker and more consistent between clinicians

Between them, the Critical Care order sets cover most regular use cases, and there is an additional order set gathering little-used, niche drugs so that even uncommon items can be prescribed consistently. Please prescribe from these order sets wherever one exists for what you need.

Finding an order set

From the Manual Entry search box on the Orders screen, type critical. All of the Critical Care order sets are listed together, so you can scroll through and pick the one you need.

Select the order set you want and click Add… to open it.

Selecting the drugs you need

Each order set opens with its drugs grouped by category. Nothing is pre-selected — tick the box next to each drug you want to prescribe, adjust the dose within the allowed range if needed, then click OK. Only the items you tick are ordered.

Sensible defaults are included, but they should always be reviewed for the individual patient — especially for those at the extremes of age or body weight.

Admissions Medications

The Critical Care – Admissions Medications order set covers the routine drugs to consider when admitting a patient — analgesia/sedation infusions (propofol, fentanyl, remifentanil), gastrointestinal medications (docusate, senna) and vasopressor infusions (noradrenaline, metaraminol) — each with its critical-care preparation and dose range ready to go.

Electrolyte Orderset

The Critical Care – Electrolyte Orderset groups the enteral and intravenous electrolyte replacements, so you can choose the correct route, preparation and vascular access (central or peripheral) for potassium, magnesium, phosphate and calcium.

Rapid Sequence Induction (RSI) Orderset

The Critical Care – Rapid Sequence Induction (RSI) Orderset brings together the drugs for intubation — analgesics/anxiolysis, induction agents, muscle relaxants and emergency drugs — all set to order once as URGENT, so the whole sequence can be prescribed quickly and safely.

If a drug you need isn’t in the relevant order set, prescribe it as normal — but for anything these order sets cover, please use them so prescribing stays safe and consistent across the unit.

If there is anything you are unsure about — the right preparation, dose, route or whether an order set applies — please ask a pharmacist or consultant for advice before prescribing.