Hi, I'm the Bad Guy

[Paprikat]

Help me! I work in a nursing home. My problem is, that our policy states that no meds are to be left at the bedside. Simple. Problem: Some of my coworkers choose to leave the pills there and leave. One res. takes her pills at midnight (meds are passed at 8-9pm). So enter me, the bad guy, who insists these people take their pills or rings when they want them. "you're the only one....all the other ones do.....why do you have to be so difficult.....don't you trust me.....or.......you are such a b----" They become so rude and laugh when I try to explain the rationale. I am so tired of this. Trust me, I would rather leave the pills at the bedside and hope they take them, rather than argue daily with them, which I think is the reason the other ones do, but if someone finds pills at the bedside, it is considered a med error at my facility. So help me....what should I do?

[emily_mom]

If you take them in the room and they don't want to take them, they should be put back in the patient's med drawer. My grandma has Alzheimer's and took 4 patients' meds. Three of the residents were on dig. Needless to say, we opened a can of woop-a*s and the hospital fired the two nurses who left it in the room.

I agree with Zoe. How can you chart that they were taken if you didn't witness it?

Kristy

[Audreyfay]

The nursing home my grandma is in asked that she have a locked drawer where she kept her own vitamins. This would be an option for those type of residents. My grandma wore the key around her neck, for easy access. Then a confused resident would not be able to take her Rx. There also was an MD order for this. As long as she remembered to lock her drawer.... she did well with this for a long time...until a few more brain cells started dying. She actually as cerebral atropy...Imagine being told that your brain is shrinking! She's pretty confused now, so the drawer and the vitamins are no longer. But, it certainly helped keep her happy for a long time.

[Vailgang]

You are doing the right thing. You always have to remember your liscence.

[Rustyhammer]

You can do a self-medication assessment on the resident and have her keep the meds in a lock box as mentioned above.

You can also start writing up previous nurses for leaving meds at bedside. It's a dangerous practice (habit) and one that will get you in trouble sooner or later.

I have run into this in the past and have just told the resident "I can't leave them by the bedside but will be happy to bring them to you later...just ring. You have until 9".

They might get irked but your you know what is covered.

-Russell

[Paprikat]

Thanks for the replies. I am glad that you guys have backed me up. It is a continual, daily fight with some of them, unfortunately, there is a NO meds at the bedside (that includes puffers, eye drops, etc.), as I work on a floor where there are some moderate dementia patients, which is another fear I have is someone wandering into the room and taking their pills, and I tell my coworkers that do leave the pills, that this WILL happen someday, but they still do.