Lithium Monitoring: Ensuring Patient Safety
Section: TEACHING TO LEARN
Authors
1Mª Concepción Moreno Calvete, 2Mª Leyre Sánchez Campo, 3Iratxe Ibáñez Díaz
Position
1Enfermera de la Red de Salud Mental de Bizkaia.2Enfermera del Hospital de San Eloy.3Enfermera.
Abstract
Introduction: Lithium is used in the treatment of bipolar disorder as a mood stabilizer. It’s narrow therapeutic window justify plasma monitoring to reach the desired effect while reducing its toxicity and ensuring compliance. Nurses have an important role to play in safety and quality in the administration of lithium.
Objective: To perform an update on the issue of lithium monitoring, analyzing the role that nurses play in this process.
Methods: A literature search was performed using, among others, the following sources: Scielo and My Athens databases. Also the technical specifications from the Spanish Agency for Drugs and Health Products part of the Ministry of Health, Social Policy and Equality were consulted. The search was conducted in February 2011. The search strategies were tailored to the database used and the selection of the articles were made after reading the title and abstract, depending on whether they met the inclusion and exclusion criteria previously defined.
Results: The role of nurses in pharmacovigilance of lithium is very important, so specific knowledge is required to undertake it.
Conclusions: Lithium monitoring provides safety in the administration of this drug with narrow therapeutic windows.
Objective: To perform an update on the issue of lithium monitoring, analyzing the role that nurses play in this process.
Methods: A literature search was performed using, among others, the following sources: Scielo and My Athens databases. Also the technical specifications from the Spanish Agency for Drugs and Health Products part of the Ministry of Health, Social Policy and Equality were consulted. The search was conducted in February 2011. The search strategies were tailored to the database used and the selection of the articles were made after reading the title and abstract, depending on whether they met the inclusion and exclusion criteria previously defined.
Results: The role of nurses in pharmacovigilance of lithium is very important, so specific knowledge is required to undertake it.
Conclusions: Lithium monitoring provides safety in the administration of this drug with narrow therapeutic windows.
Keywords:
lithium monitoring; nursing care; pharmacovigilancesafety
Versión en Español
Título:
Monitorización del litio: garantizando la seguridad del paciente
