New eStar updates and changes announced

Additional Options for NPO Orders in VCH

Beginning Nov. 11, clinicians placing NPO orders on patients located in Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital will now have additional options to specify parameters around what patients can have and when. This change will help follow anesthesia guidelines for fasting.

 Please note, this does not impact orders for pediatric patients in VUH or VPH.

When placing NPO orders for patients in VCH, clinicians will see Medical Indications.

• Choosing NPO for “Future Anesthesia/Sedation” gives additional options
• Patient may need liquids or breastmilk up to certain time of day

Per anesthesia guidelines, clinicians should follow the “6,4,2” rule, which indicates the number of hours of fasting prior to anesthesia for:

• Solid food (6 hours)
• Breastmilk (4 hours)
• Clear liquids (2 hours)
• Approved clear liquids include water, pulp-free juice, Powerade, and Gatorade

New Alert when Prescribing Controlled Substances

Beginning Nov. 11, a new alert will appear when attempting to fax or print prescriptions for controlled substances. This change will prepare VUMC to comply with new state and federal laws, beginning January 1, 2021, that require all controlled substances to be ePrescribed.

Instead of faxing or printing these prescriptions, prescribers should instead select Order Class “Normal” to electronically prescribe controlled substances. Clinicians should verify patient’s pharmacy before sending prescription electronically.

A list of exclusions to the state law (such as downtime) is available here: Tenn. Code Ann. § 63-1-160