What safety overrides mean

When you bypass a safety warning, what gets recorded, and how to audit overrides later.

A safety override is a recorded decision to proceed with an administration despite a fired warning. Overrides are powerful (they unblock a recording the system would otherwise refuse) and they're tracked in detail.

Override types

  • allergy — known allergy match.

  • drug_interaction — known interaction with another medication.

  • max_daily_dose — daily-dose ceiling reached.

  • sheet_expired — MAR sheet outside its validity window.

  • medication_expired — medication's expiry date has passed.

  • off_schedule — administration outside the buffer window.

  • other — any other reason that needed a manual override.

What's captured

  • Type — one of the above.

  • Reason — your free-text justification (required when the realm setting demands it).

  • Details — structured JSON with what triggered the override (e.g. the interaction pair).

  • Overridden by — the user who clicked override.

  • Approved by — the senior who authorised (when approval was required).

  • Timestamp — when it happened.

Audit

All overrides are visible at eMAR → More → Override Logs, filterable by type and date. Frequent overrides on the same medication suggest either a safety-profile update is needed (e.g. drop a false allergy) or a clinical conversation with the prescriber.

Heads up — An override is not a workaround. If you find yourself overriding the same warning repeatedly, that's a flag — speak to the nurse in charge or the prescriber rather than silently overriding every shift.

Last updated 21 May 2026 · by eMAR migration · Suggest a feature or change to this article
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