Dispensing medications

gwenith, BSN, RN · Apr 26, 2003

The Aussie Outlook.

A couple of years ago here in QLD they changed the threapeutic goods act (AKA the drug administration act) so that nurses could no longer dispense but could only SUPPLY three days worth of medication. There was also restrictions on who coul dsupply i.e. only remote area facilities.

There was a lot of outrage form the remote area nurses (one DON from an gem mining area maintained three days was not enough because his patients only swung down out of the trees once a month).

Rural and remote area nurses were peeved because of the restrictions which were obviously included after lobbying from the pharmacy group within the metropolitan area.

For once though we DID something about it. A letter writing campaign and discussions with the local members of parliment got the law amended within 6 weeks of being passed! A record for parlimentary action!

Repeat after me.......... We are powerful we CAN change the way things are. We are powerful we can change the way things are.

teeituptom, BSN, RN · May 22, 2003

Here we cant dispense we can only administer, nothing to send home.

atownsendrn · May 22, 2003

Our ED is a lot like Cotjockey. We (the nurses) can get the meds out and label them, then the MD must sign the label and hand it to the patient. We will give them enough to last until the pharmacy is opened. If we have to reconstitute antibiotics (especially for peds pt's that you know the parents won't get filled) we will give them the bottle. About a year ago, administration and the hospital pharmacist at the time decided that we would not dispense anything. It was horrible!!!!! So the ED staff pulled together and really became patient advocates. And now we can do as above.

So RainbowSky, I agree with Gwenith - we are a powerful voice. And we must all be patient advocates. Get you ED nurses together and protest this decision.

Good luck!!!!

elgen · Apr 9, 2006

Hi everyone, I am an RN in CA, and I am trying to find out if it is a violation of the scope of practice for RN's in CA to dispense OTC medications in on a med surge floor without an MD order, i/e giving Tylenol for a HA without an MD order. Any takers?

GooeyRN, ADN, BSN, CNA, LPN, RN · Apr 10, 2006

I work in a really small ER in a really small town which does not have an open pharmacy from Saturday afternoon until Monday morning. We don't have a pharmacist available to dispense medications.
Any of y'all in a similar situation? We used to just give a dose (or doses) to go, but that's not the safest thing to do and pretty much violates the nurse practice act. And our administration has recently told us we cannot dispense any meds - ever. What do you do in your ER?
Many thanks.

Sounds like the last place that I worked. If the doc writes a script, on a Sat night, its too bad that the only local drug store doesn't open until noon on Sun.

andhow5, BSN, RN · Apr 10, 2006

Here we cant dispense we can only administer, nothing to send home.

It's the same here. I can give them meds until the cows come home while they are an active ED patient, but we are not allowed to send them home with any meds - only scripts.

kaycee · Apr 10, 2006

Hi everyone, I am an RN in CA, and I am trying to find out if it is a violation of the scope of practice for RN's in CA to dispense OTC medications in on a med surge floor without an MD order, i/e giving Tylenol for a HA without an MD order. Any takers?

OTC or not, I would not dispense any medication without an order from an MD.

HAPPYNPROUD · Apr 10, 2006

we can't give any meds at all once pt is discharged, "that is not in your scope, only a pharmacist can dispense medications" is heard all the time---but we do have several 24 hour walgreens here---now if a pt says they can't afford it, then social work becomes involved and provides pts with a voucher and the pt can get some drugs (maybe abt's, some pain meds, etc) from our inpatient pharmacy, but in limited quantity---but again, no nurses or even md's give meds to take home