Correctional Medication Administration

[MikTasha]

My county jail is currently passing medications via a single guard preparing and administering medications in the morning and evening. At the new year a new sheriff was elected and is concerned about our current form of medication administration. We are looking for new ideas on how to proceed with this. Preset medication is not an option according to my company who the jail has a contract with. Any other protocols that have seemed to work for anyone else?

[djules]

I also work in a small cty jail. When I first started here the sergeant was dispensing medications QID. Since I am only here 8 hours a day m-f. I have found that prepouring is the answer. It is to bad your company prevents you from doing this. Are you the medical staff for the facility? If so, how about changeing your hours to cover the bid schedule. The facility would still need a perdeim nurse for the days your not there. This is a big challange that most small facilities face. Many COs become pseudo nurses which is unfair to them and alas even unfair to our inmates.

[MamaMac]

WOW! and I thought my old county was in the backwoods! You are not allowed to "pre-pour" or "pre-pair" your medications beyond your shift. I found that to be a standard practice when I transferred to a state facility. (Florida to California).

At my facility, you would be walked off of the institution.

[NottaSpringChik, BSN, RN]

Nursing staff covers the small county jail I where I work approx 7 hrs per day x 5 days a week. The M-F AM meds are given by the nurse at the nursing cart. The PM meds and weekend medications are prepoured into small dose envelopes which are labeled with the patient name and the medication and dose contained inside the envelope. The deputies give the inmates the medications from the envelopes in the PM and all dosing done on weekends. The patient initials the MAR that they received each medication. Nurses are on call and availabe by phone for any questions and concerns 24 hours a day. The nurse will also come into the jail off hours if needed. The deputies are able to get into the medication cart if they have a need and are directed by the nurse.

[djules]

Thank you for the back up Calico. It would be nice to have 24 hour medical coverage for my facility, or at the least medical personnel there during med times but that just isnt the case. We do the best that we can with what is available. Accountability, key control, signatures, initials, pill counts,....it's a daily event to insure inmate safety.

p.s. Sounds like we work in the same facility and just dont know it.

[miteacher, ADN, MSN]

Thank you for the back up Calico. It would be nice to have 24 hour medical coverage for my facility, or at the least medical personnel there during med times but that just isnt the case. We do the best that we can with what is available. Accountability, key control, signatures, initials, pill counts,....it's a daily event to insure inmate safety.

p.s. Sounds like we work in the same facility and just dont know it.

I am surprised they would allow security staff to pass meds, what if they mixed up the envelopes? What about pre-pouring? That is probably safer than having an officer give out meds. Where I work, they do not allow officers to even touch the meds.

[tonitiger30]

What about having the guards take a certified med aid course? It's typically a 12-16 hour course taught by an RN and is the same course CNAs take to pass meds in an RCF.