Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM) Orders
Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) refers to protocols for measuring blood levels of specific drugs at designated intervals to optimize drug or disease-specific dosage regimens. TDM is typically used for medications with narrow therapeutic ranges, pharmacokinetic variability or preventable dose-related adverse effects. TDM used with first doses can help select maintenance doses, Thereafter, TDM can guide dose adjustment for maximal benefit and minimal harm.
To be effective, TDM requires good information about the time, route and completeness of dose administrations, as well as the relative timing of blood collection for drug levels. Medication administration and/or blood collection times may be affected by facility norms or limitations. Connect Care drug level orders are designed to help prescribers respect those norms while obtaining good information for medication titration.