checking MAR

[Fancy Face]

Hi LTC nurses--what is your policy about checking MAR to the Physicians orders before your med pass? Do you look thru each and every med order and compare it to the MAR?

[brendamyheart]

Nope. The one who administers it is ultimately responsible. There's a lot of legal precedence out there, even if a physician or a pharmacist made the mistake, the nurse was found responsible.

Sad but true. :o

[DTC]

Fancy face~

When in nursing school,,my clinical instructor told us to check the physican order against thte MAR,,,since I've been working,,like jetscreamer said,,i only recheck the physician orders is something doesnt look right or if there is a discrepancy.

[teapot52]

I would sure hope that you would check!! Several times too!! I once saw a nurse who passed all her meds during the shift then at the end of the shift signed her meds. I was stunned!! She shrugs and tells me she does this all the time. Scary!

[linzz]

I too, also worked with a nurse that would pass her meds, without even looking at the book and then when she was done passing her meds, she would take the book off the cart and sit down and sign off on all her meds. . What was even more amazing was that management never said a word to her because she always came in all the time.

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

In nursing school you are taught the 'right' way to do things..IF you work in a hospital and IF you have 4-5 patients. When I worked in a hospital and was responsible for 10 patients, I checked each chart for new orders before the first med pass.

When I moved to long term care and had 30 patients, there was no way humanly possible to check every chart for new orders. We had 24 hour checks done by the night nurses. They only checked to make sure all the orders had been noted. They didn't check to make sure they were properly taken off or followed through on.

All orders were checked once a month...go through all the orders...check the new med sheet...compare the old to the new...takes a long time to do it right...especially when the person who did it before you did a half assed job.

PS. The nurse who transcribed the med onto the MAR was the one held responsible for any med error caused by poor transcription.

Still...as a nurse, if you see an order you question-too high a dose, too low..a med the pt. is allergic to, it is YOUR responsibility to notify the MD.

[brendamyheart]

Every day the nurse manager check new order to make sure they are on the MAR. At the end of the month we make sure that all doctor are correct against the last orders and the MAR. However if you come across an order that does not make sense, I would go to that order to see if it has been transcribed wrong. or need clarifying

[coolvibesRN]

Definately not before med pass. Orders have to be transcribbed ASAP. When i worked at LTC we used to leave i think its the green copy if not the pink (not sure), for rechecks during the night shift for that day.

[TiggerBelly]

Yea I ditto alot of previous posters. When a new order comes in, it is immediately transcribed to the MAR. In the AM my med pass takes about 3 hours for about 35 residents. If I had to check every single one I would never get done.

[sayitgirl]

Hi LTC nurses--what is your policy about checking MAR to the Physicians orders before your med pass? Do you look thru each and every med order and compare it to the MAR?

So,

How long does it take to do YOUR med pass?

:monkeydance:

[DTC]

I'm an LPN in an ALF,,,,but we don't check physician's orders against the MAR before a med pass.I work 3p-11p, have 58 residents and it takes me 2 hours to pull all the meds for everybody for the whole shift. We have a med room with a little drawers for each resident, where we place the evenings meds. The residents swing by on their way to supper, back from supper and pick them up. I also deliver the ones that, for whatever reason, didnt stop by and get theirs, then i deliver the 9p meds to thier rooms. That doesnt count the Forteo and insulin residents that come to the nurses station of get their shots. Needless to say,,it's a busy evening.