Management of the med window

[wonderbee]

I'm looking for ideas on how to better manage our straggling patients that show up whenever they want to for their meds. We do have some patients that are on close obs or wing restriction or have some other impedement that prevents them from getting to the med window during regular administration times, 9A and 9P. These are not the patients I'm referring to. It's the ones who display entitlement or just don't want to get out of bed in the morning or don't want to wait in line at night.

What works for you? Med administration for us has become like waiting tables. We have a lot of borderlines.

[kiwipsychnurse]

i think my unit is doing something wrong >_<. i end up hunting down and giving bedside meds to patients a night of having pts>

I sometimes do that. Easier that way.

[MrChicagoRN, RN]

35 patients

3 to 4 nurses, each passing meds to their own patients.

Gets too crowded at the med window in a tiny, tiny med room.

I page mine by name to the med window or day area, trying to be sure to pass meds when they are most likely to be in the day area. Then I seek out those that are isolative to their rooms.

["Bop"RN]

I agree with the peer pressure. I work second shift and after the night time med pass, the patients are given a snack. No snacks are given out until all patients have gone to the med room to take their meds. Works out rather nicely!

[Vito Andolini]

Tell them it's their responsibility to come get their pills. they are adults right? tell them "no show...no pills..no excuses." I bet they'll show up after the first time they miss their drugs.

You're expecting them to be normal but they are not. Does this work for you?

I think the best thing is peer pressure or loss of privileges. If they don't get their pills, it's staff and everyone else who suffers, right along with the patients who didn't get their pills.