The best excuses for positive drug screens

[rnaturcervix]

I have recently had a lot of positive UDS pts, and the excuses I hear as to why they are positive simply blow my mind! Anyone have any good stories? I'll start with my favorites.....

+ marijuana: I was trapped in a car with 10 other people smoking and the windows were broken

+methamphetamine: I don't use it, I just cook it, and usually not at my own house

+cocaine: I was asleep, and my boyfriend blew it up my nose. The 2 gay men that live next to me put cocaine in their air vents, and it must have got into my apartment.

**my all-time favorite: well, of course my wife is positive for cocaine, you have no idea how many cokes she drinks everyday**

Anyone else??? :)

[klone, MSN, RN]

I imagine ED is a whole lot different from L&D. We generally don't get unconscious people as L&D admits, for example.

[SionainnRN]

I imagine ED is a whole lot different from L&D. We generally don't get unconscious people as L&D admits, for example.

Yes but the fact remains that we don't ask for consent to drug test.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Yes but the fact remains that we don't ask for consent to drug test.

And like I said upthread, I think for those states that do have laws requiring consent for drug testing, I imagine they have exceptions to the law, such as EDs.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Well, here's an interesting article - I don't know when it was written, but apparently the US Supreme Court has ruled that it's unlawful and unconstitutional to do drug testing on pregnant women in the hospital without consent, considering it unlawful search and seizure. Huh, go figure!

Drug-Testing Pregnant Women Nixed - ABC News

[SionainnRN]

And like I said upthread, I think for those states that do have laws requiring consent for drug testing, I imagine they have exceptions to the law, such as EDs.

Laws?? Please show me a state that has a law regarding consent for UDS.

[klone, MSN, RN]

And here's an interesting article regarding routine drug testing in the ED

Why ER Doctors Test for Drugs Without Patient Consent - TIME

[klone, MSN, RN]

Laws?? Please show me a state that has a law regarding consent for UDS.

See my post above yours.

[SionainnRN]

Well, here's an interesting article - I don't know when it was written, but apparently the US Supreme Court has ruled that it's unlawful and unconstitutional to do drug testing on pregnant women in the hospital without consent, considering it unlawful search and seizure. Huh, go figure!

Drug-Testing Pregnant Women Nixed - ABC News

That specifically says that it's for doing the UDS and giving the results to the police. That is a completely different issue from what we're talking about. If the police want alcohol or drug results they need a warrant.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Here is another article....the Supreme Court ruling (in 2001, I learned) states that it's unconstitutional when it leads to a police report. Nevertheless, every hospital network I've worked for has been more conservative, in that a signed or verbal consent was required before we could test her.

Pregnant Women Increasingly Face Criminal Prosecution for Positive Drug Tests - Reason.com

[SionainnRN]

Here is another article....the Supreme Court ruling (in 2001, I learned) states that it's unconstitutional when it leads to a police report. Nevertheless, every hospital network I've worked for has been more conservative, in that a signed or verbal consent was required before we could test her.

Pregnant Women Increasingly Face Criminal Prosecution for Positive Drug Tests - Reason.com

Yes they need consent for the police or a warrant. But there is no law that says we have to have consent to run a UDS. You're comparing apples to oranges.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Here's the deal, though...as the article about drug testing in the ED states....what is the purpose of drug testing unless it's going to change your care? If someone comes into the ED with an MI, will his care be different if the MI was caused by cocaine?

If a woman comes into L&D with an abruption, her care is going to be the same whether it's an abruption caused by crack use or an abruption caused by something else. I can see a possible argument for neonatal abstinence, but really, when we have a mom who has had known opiate use, we don't treat that baby any differently until/unless they start developing symptoms. We don't automatically send an infant of an opiate user to the NICU, we monitor the infant and send him/her when they start scoring higher on the NAS. Nevertheless, I can see why it would be something that would need to be known for optimal infant care, which is why many hospitals/states that require consent for maternal drug testing, do NOT require consent for infant drug testing.

[klone, MSN, RN]

Yes they need consent for the police or a warrant. But there is no law that says we have to have consent to run a UDS. You're comparing apples to oranges.

Nope, it appears to be hospital and/or state-dependent. And every hospital I've worked at in L&D required the woman to consent before we could run a UDS.