Time Frame for Med Administration - Page 3

Register Today!
  1. May 25, '12 by
    The hour before and hour after, of course, wouldn't apply to PRNs.
    If a PRN tyl was given at 8 am and the order is every 4 hrs then it wouldn't be due until 12 Noon. But if you applied the hour before you would be giving it at 11 am and that would be too soon.
  2. May 25, '12 by
    Quote from Samantha13
    I understand that it really depends on the medication, but generally is this acceptable in the real world of nursing?...because in school, it was not.
    You are correct. In school, it is not acceptable.

    In the real world, it is unavoidable. Any given shift, I might have 50 meds to give between four patients, all due at 0800 - then they have more scheduled (and PRN) almost around the clock. No way those are all given as scheduled, although some sure are.
  3. May 25, '12 by
    Where I have been in school and where I work now I've been told it's a one hour window for acute and a two hour window for LTC.
  4. May 25, '12 by
    Quote from grntea
    "in school, we learned that meds can be given within an hour of the designated time frame. in other words, if a med is due at 2100, it can be given between 2030-2130."

    no, "within an hour" means plus-or-minus one hour, not plus-or-minus one half hour for a total of one hour.

    if i say, "i will meet you within the hour" at 9:00am, you don't expect me by 9:30, but by 10:00. if when we meet at 10:00, i say, "the fire started within the last hour," that's because it started sometime since 9:00, not 9:30.

    therefore it is perfectly acceptable to give 2000 meds and 2200 meds at 2100, as long as there is no other contraindication (interactions, for example) to giving two concurrently, or one is not a q2h med that really has to be given q2h.

    as for the q24h or q12h meds, when did nurses cease looking at the overall med schedule and figuring out the best time for those in an individual basis? i don't care that "policy says we give all xx at 0800 and 2000," because if there's a valid reason for it (like, "our patients need uninterrupted sleep") policy can be changed. advocacy and initiative here.

    i know what "within an hour" means...thanks... i used it incorrectly but didn't need a whole 2 paragraph explanation. in school, we were told a half hour before or a half hour after. not "within an hour"...my apologies.

    anyway, thanks everyone for the replies! makes sense, i just wanted to clarify because this was drilled into our heads in school. if i didn't give an 8am med by 830am it was late.
  5. May 25, '12 by
    P&P never had to give 15 pills (one at a time), 3 injections, and an inhaler to 1 of 5 patients who needed to use the restroom just as you got all the meds scanned in. And then needed a pain pill after helping her change her brief and get back into bed.
    One patient=30 minutes, and hope none one else needs to potty, ED doesn't call report, the blood is not ready for transfusion yet, and why or why aren't the lab results back yet on that K+? And now granddaughter-in-law who is an MA would like to know what's really going on with granny, and when is the doctor coming in?
    wooh likes this.
  6. May 25, '12 by
    Quote from Samantha13
    I know what "within an hour" means...thanks... I used it incorrectly but didn't need a whole 2 paragraph explanation. In school, we were told A HALF HOUR before or a HALF HOUR after. Not "within an hour"...my apologies.

    ANYWAY, thanks everyone for the replies! makes sense, I just wanted to clarify because this was drilled into our heads in school. If I didn't give an 8am med by 830am it was late.
    Golly, I'm really sorry that GrnTea made you have to read all that due to your misstatement! How will you ever get over the heartache of having to read two additional paragraphs?
    wooh and kids like this.
  7. May 25, '12 by
    Whoever makes these rules is not actually living by them. They just make rules for the rest of us to follow. This justifies their employment. No one really cares about patients any more and, most assuredly, no one cares about nurses. Our necks are always in the noose and the trap door is about to be sprung.
    wooh and redhead_NURSE98! like this.
  8. May 25, '12 by
    If they expect all my meds to be given in an actual hour time frame, they'll have to either give me less patients or clone me. Oh man, management would love that... Pay 1 salary since me and my 4 clones would be the same. Lol.

    Oh, and it's the hour on either side at my facility too. Abd if it's late/early, we have plenty of reasons to choose from. Most common is : time restraints
    wooh likes this.
  9. May 25, '12 by
    Quote from redhead_NURSE98!
    Golly, I'm really sorry that GrnTea made you have to read all that due to your misstatement! How will you ever get over the heartache of having to read two additional paragraphs?
    Why take the time to comment if you're just going to be rude? Very unnecessary.

    Please close this thread, as I didn't come here to be spoken down to, rather seeking advice from my soon-to-be fellow nurses. Thanks everyone who shared intelligent answers.
  10. May 25, '12 by
    In LTC I always combined 2000and 2200 until a supervisor showed me that if you gave all the meds on time you finished work early.