Leaving meds at bedside in LTC

I just think it is so wrong,we are trained one way and then you find it soooo different out there,and it's suppose to be all about the patient being safe..friend told me how when somone is suppose to get 5pm and 7 pm meds at 5 they get all.....there is a reason why the meds are given at different times isn't there

WOW! I don't know where some of you work, but good grief, we never, never leave meds bedside. Our basic rule is try three times if they don't take it then consider it a refusal and document. Yep we did have a nurse who left her meds bedside when state was there (can you believe it, and then tried to argue with state that it was okay)! Needless to say she was out the door in record time!

I dont find it acceptable to leave meds at the bedside...I've never trusted any resident enough to do so...if they wont take it when I am watching, I leave and come back. Ive seen other nurses do it and cannot figure out why or how they can think its ok. I worry about my license too much to do that. Its too risky.

We only left them if there was an order. If no order, i would stand there until i saw the pt take them or i would leave with the meds and tell them i would return at a later time when they were willing to take them.

nt in ltc in acute rehab but
i'll nly combine say 6-8pm meds if it 7pm otherwise i'll d a 2nd rund
oh i have 8 patients. if patients are in the same room iill give the med dot the drug card as dispensed and start the 2nd patients med card etc and once the first pt has swalloewed the tablets i;; inital the drug card as adminstered. all my patients are elderly and at times stepping back slightly they seem to take them.

in long term care shortcuts in med passes are almost impossible to do. most of which ya cant do when state surveyors are watching. but in order to complete the med passes on time.... you do what you have to. i dont like leaving meds at bedside....thats just me.... if they dont want it right then,...... its like ok im busy it may take me awhlile to get back to you. but it is thier choice. they have right to refuse. dr order will allow to leave meds at bedside. had to beg for that on one resident.... she just wanted one dose of tylenol to take during night.....in assisted living.... no nurse on the unit.... but emergency nurse available from connected snf. after i went through a lot of hoopla and a lot of teaching with the resident and pestering the dr..... i did get my way.,..... the resident was so happy she could take her tylenol when she wanted.... each am i would check with her.... ok what time did you take it.... she didnt always write it down.... but could tell me within an hour of time that she took.... like between 2-3am
this also allowed follow up that regular tylenol was not controlling her pain so she could get a good nights sleep which they ended up changing her bedtime med routine so she could get better rest.

I believe that legally you are not suppose to leave the meds out there, I may be wrong any corrections would be nice.

Unless it is ordered that a patient may self administer x, y, or z medications then is not legal in my province to leave any medications at the bedside.

I will NOT leave meds at bedside and it annoys me and angers me when I follow a nurse who has done so.

On a different note, I am one of those nurses who can get through my med pass fairly quickly. However, I work the same unit five days a week with very few med changes. I also have the meds arranged in my med card in the same order they are printed on my med sheets so I don't waste time searching for them. And yes, everyone gets exactly what is ordered: eye drops, inhalers, insulins, pills.