Published Feb 3, 2005
BetterWayNurse
2 Posts
Hi Everyone! I have a question about Behaviour med. sheet charting. I am the MDS Coordiantor for a 62 bed facility in Tennessee and recently all of the nurses were informed that the facility has ask for us to record on the back of the form all of the side effects that can occur from the meds. that the patients are recieving in which there is a list with numbers and they just have to put the numbers in for that day and to record any actual side effects in the nurses notes or comments at the bottom of the BOP sheet...it seems like a lot of extra work for nurses that are already overtaxed and overwhelmed but I was curious about how other facilities do this since I have only been an MDS Coordinator for 8 months now and this is the only place I have worked in this position......I thought that only the actual side effects should go there! Any thoughts? Thank you
purplemania, BSN, RN
2,617 Posts
there is no way to list every possible side effect. this form is setting the nurses up for failure. I understand the intent is to have the nurse think before giving a med, but in reality the nurse will just be checking off numbers and not really absorbing the meaning. I work in acute care, so my opinion probably does not count. I just hate to see the nurses burdened with paperwork that is senseless.
Maybe I should have clarified also that they are only having to record possible side effects of Psychotropic meds. but in that respect they are having to put at least 10-15 side effects of these meds. that are listed on the sheet. I do understand it is a helping tool for them (they say) to guide them on observing for these effects, just more work for them and I hate it for them. I do work with a great team of nurses and they really do try hard to do everything expected of them. I just wanted to know if anyone felt it was warranted when the side effects are covered in the care plans, although does anyone actually read the care plans? Thanks
CapeCodMermaid, RN
6,092 Posts
We have the main 4 or 5 side effects of all psychotropics printed on the front of the MAR if the patient is on a psychotropic. The nurses just put a zero in the box if there are no side effects....you can tell, though, that it's just something else to sign off. Sometimes the med is discontinued but they forget to tell the data entry woman so the side effects box is still there and they sign it off...DUH...if someone isn't getting the med, they don't have to be watched for side effects.
We have a mood sheet taken right off the MDS mood section. The nurses chart that every day every shift. AND if the patient has behaviors, there is another sheet to chart those, the interventions, and the effectiveness of them....
donmomofnine
356 Posts
webblarsk
928 Posts
That sounds about how the facility I worked at does their behavior charting.