A question of Trust

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Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.

I have been watching multiple programs on TV about medical mistakes. Many concern medications. In addition, we have the current article that we have all reviewed regarding the pharmacist that has been brought up on criminal charges when his tech, while planning her wedding, mixed up the wrong does of chemo with a sodium solution that was too high and when administered by the nurse, the patient killed the patient.

I am old school. When I was in nursing school, I was taught that you never give any medication mixed or drawn up by another person and I have always stood by that principle. I have always wondered when I get a pre mixed bad from pharmacy of let's say vancomycin or KCL if that is actually what is in the bag. Do you guys ever wonder about this? I am really getting to the point where I am frightened to give or have my nurses give any pre mixed medications.

You know that none of us come in to work every day with the idea that we are going to do a bad job and harm patients but when you are understaffed and you are overloaded with patients who are sicker than ever before, it is a situation that is ripe for errors. Plus we cannot read physician orders. It is amazing to me that we don't do more harm than we do.

How do you guys feel about this? Am I just paranoid?

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Specializes in Emergency.

Not a problem for us.... we still mix EVERY drug we give. I understand your concern, but honestly, every now and then when we are flat out, it would be a time saver!

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Specializes in Critical Care,Recovery, ED.

Trust is the basis of any society. If you don't trust nothing will work well. How do you know that the PO drugs are what the label actually says? There are counterfeit PO meds. (Not to increase your paranoia).

I am "old school" also but the advantages of pre-mixed medications is economically compelling as well as safer over all. Now as to techs mixing meds that shouldn't happen in my opinion.

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Specializes in Critical Care,Recovery, ED.

Trust is the basis of any society. If you don't trust nothing will work well. How do you know that the PO drugs are what the label actually says? There are counterfeit PO meds. (Not to increase your paranoia).

I am "old school" also but the advantages of pre-mixed medications is economically compelling as well as safer over all. Now as to techs mixing meds that shouldn't happen in my opinion.

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Specializes in MDS/ UR.

I can understand your concerns about using another medication someone else drew up or mixed if they were a nurse or physician.

However, I think that being worried over what a pharmacist did would be a bit over the top.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

My organization also had a major mishap that originated with a pharmacy tech. Luckily, a nurse picked up on some very subtle S&S & followed up before anything serious happened -- this was an NICU. In our case, I believe the pharmacist eventually lost his license.

It seems that there are some similar patterns here re:Pharmacist oversight of techs.

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Specializes in LTC.

I too have wondered the same thing. Anytime I have had to mix lovenox or heparin I have both nurses I am working with to come and verify the calculation and the dosage and we draw it up together......just to be safe. I dont give meds someone else pulls up....of any kind. I have found med cups in my cart before full of pills with no name on the cup or nothing.....I just throw them away.

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