Meds

[Marija1]

I changed the dates on some narcotic entries and supervisor said it was serious errors yet we cgdbge the count number all the time. How do theses differ?

[boywithacoin, BSN]

Narcotics are controlled substances. Changing counts/dates in your pyxis or whatever med management system should not be happening for any med, but it matters more with controlled substances because those counts are generally regularly audited to make sure they're not being diverted. At my work, there are multiple accountability reports each day to be sure that a) the number of narcs pulled matches the number of narcs given b) any waste was properly documented and witnessed c) narcotics pulled were given in an appropriate timeframe. So changing dates can mess with the daily accountability process.

[Marija1]

In this particular case it was just the dates but the count was correct daily. Not sure what to do if the wrong date was written down in the first place, how can one correct that so it coincides properly. Someone might put the wrong date by accident so what you just leave it?

[BeckyESRN]

The date is easy, you work with adults, they should know what day it is. Put a small calendar in the med room. If, once in a great while, you notice an incorrect date chart it as such "At 1600 on 10/15/2017 it was noted that the above date is charted as 10/16/2017 at 1500, counts were verified according to policy" and then chart as usual. I cannot stress enough that this SHOULD NOT be a frequent issue! And NEVER change a date or count on narcotics, make a new entry noting your findings and fill out an incident report, every time!