[RNinSoCal]

Nurses who give meds without an order are playing Russian roulette with their licenses. I won't give anything without an order. What if the person had an unknown allergy to Benadryl? What if it was given IV and the pt became sedated. I have had elderly patients sleep for 12 hours after benadryl was given IV. I hope you don't follow their bad examples.
Our smarter doctors sign standing order sheets that have MOM, Tylenol, zofran, benadryl and other prns on them so they don't get 2 am phone calls for minor problems. Maybe your house MD should use one of these.
Just a suggestion.

[classicdame]

Never give anything without an order.Period. An exception would be a nursing protocol for specific situations that has been approved by Admin and the Medical Staff (like pre-op meds for certain surgeries). Benadryl is NOT a harmless drug. No drug is. Benadry can cause kidney failure which can lead to a heart attack. Then what would be your position if you treated a patient without an order?That is the same as deciding what the diagnosis is then deciding how to treat - and that is what MD´s arefor. If your facility does not support this then move on- your license is more valuable than their excuse of "we have always done it this way".

[Lacie]

Simplyput - NO NO NO!! I had to surrender my license for 4 months and a 2 year suspension for giving mylanta in lieu of maalox!! Maalox was a standard order of the docs and it was 4 am in the morning. The pt refused maalox as he takes mylanta at home. I thought same thing as this was also a Burn ICU. No need to call doc at 4 am over mylanta - WRONG! My new manager had a dig for me and this is exactly how he got me! Again if it isnt written dont do it. Dont write it and expect the doc will sign it in the morning either. This is what I did and bang I was busted big time for something so very simple. It was over 16 years ago but something like this never goes away!

[rita359]

Do not think there would be any policy about giving benadryl as standing order. Benadryl was formerly used for geriatric patients for the sedating side effect as a sleeping med. State agencies and best practice frowns hard on this practice now. Would not give benadryl without a specific order knowing 1. its not right and 2. licensing agencies etc could put you and your institution through the mill over something like that.

[CHATSDALE]

if you have a standing order write on order sheet 'PER STANDING ORDER'
i have seen nurses do some dangerous things, both to license and to pt health, so don't go by what the other nurses do
won't help yo if you are all caught in the same net

[pickledpepperRN]

I know most of us already know not to give anything to a visitor either.
We lost a hardworking, caring CNA who was our friend because she gave two tylenol to a patients family member.

[tatgirl]

No way would I gave a med (otc or otherwise) w/o an order.That's a good way to get into lots of trouble and lose your license. It only takes a minute or two to make the call to the dr. Where I work (LTC) we have standing orders for meds like tylenol, mom, etc. But I have worked with nurses who do give otc w/o orders and these are older nurses who know better. I relieved one who told me she gave mylanta to a pt with heartburn. Later in the shift he asked for more, and I went to the mar and couldnt find the order there, went to the chart, no order there either. So I took 2 minutes and got the order from the doc. I guess she didnt want to take a couple of minutes out of her shift to make a phone call.....

Wendy
LPN

[NurseyBaby'05]

It's a really bad idea to do this with any med. If the doc wants this done without phone calls, he needs to write a PRN order in the first place. The only circumstance where I have done it was when I was administering blood to a patient and was waiting for the doc to get back to me. The pt was well known to us and had always been pre-medicated. I also knew this doc's practices well and knew it was an oversight on her part. The blood was already on the floor and had to be run slowly because the pt. had CHF. If I had waited for the doc to call back, the pt would not have gotten all of the blood before it expired. I figured to give it in this particular circumstance was better than treating a preventable transfusion reaction in a not-so-stable patient.

[suzanne4]

There is always time to get an order..............and Benadryl is not even used for a severe allergic reaction.

Please take the time to consult with a health-care provider before administering any medication, even if it is OTC..............or your license can be at stake, as well as your career.

[allantiques4me]

Originally Posted by ncrachuj

Hi, I am an LPN and I was told that I just need to use common sence when a person needs benadryl and give it even though the person has no order for this. Some of the Nurses where I work have done this, I have refused because I have been taught that no meds are given without an order over the counter or not. I was told by a 3rd party that this is what the house doctor said.
Thanks,
NO COMMON SENSE

You were using common sense and knowledge from school.You are not supposed to give any medication without a Doctors order,even over the counter.It might seem like an easy thing to do,but its not right.As far as the house doctor,Does your facility have standing orders??We have standing orders forPRN meds such as benadryl,motrin,and such.They are doctors orders that we use if We assess the patient and feel they need the med.Is that what you might be referring to(about the house doctor)Do a little research and see if they were refering to standing orders.