Do you take the MAR into the patient's room with you?

[uscstu4lfe]

Our hospital says that you must take the MAR in with you (even when you've given the same patient the same medication for the 1 millionith time). I don't know if this is a state/nationwide policy? Anyway, do you always do it? The nurses on my floor do it when management is around - but when they're not, well, it's a different story :)

[RazorbackRN, BSN, RN]

Just out of curiosity, what do you do if a patient is in isolation? That sounds like a neat-o system though.

When I worked med/surg we took the MAR to each room unless a patient was in isolation, in which the MAR stayed in the ante-room. When I worked inpatient psych, patients came to the med room for meds and we had the MAR there with us. (If we had to go to someone's room or the seclusion room to give meds, there was always someone there with the MAR)

One of the computers will stay in the room for the length of that pt's stay. When they are d/c'd, the comptuer will get a terminal clean.

[DreamingTree]

Same as the rest -- I take the MARs into the room with me. We were always taught that it's part of the three safety checks. At our facility, we have little handheld machines that you use to scan the pt & meds. I still take the MARs because I've had pts question certain meds I'm giving. Plus, even though we use the scanner to verify giving the meds, we still initial our working copies of the MARs.

[IndySkies]

Taking the MAR into the room, opening each unit dose in front of the patient is a JACHO ( I may have the initials ou of order),rule I think

[loriangel14, RN]

I have never seen it done up here.The MAR sheet stays on the med cart where you pour meds.

[shellsgogreen]

our hospital says that you must take the mar in with you (even when you've given the same patient the same medication for the 1 millionith time). i don't know if this is a state/nationwide policy? anyway, do you always do it? the nurses on my floor do it when management is around - but when they're not, well, it's a different story :)

it's all about pt safety - that's the reason why management is watching over.

[nursbee04]

I have never seen it done up here.The MAR sheet stays on the med cart where you pour meds.

For those of you who don't take the MAR in - how do you do you verify that it is the correct patient @ the bedside?

I take the MAR and the meds/unopened pills into the room - verify the name and account number, then verify the meds against the MAR as I open them. And this is in ICU - where often I only have one patient, and the same patient several nights in a row.

This is policy @ my facility, and also how I was taught in nsg school.

[loriangel14, RN]

Checking the arm band is one of the checks. If you had a lot of pills to give I guess it would be a lot of bottles to carry. easier to pour at the cart with the MAR there for us.

[nursbee04]

Checking the arm band is one of the checks. If you had a lot of pills to give I guess it would be a lot of bottles to carry. easier to pour at the cart with the MAR there for us.

But what do you check the armband against?

[crunchymomx3]

Yes. Always.

[MsLady06]

Our hospital says that you must take the MAR in with you (even when you've given the same patient the same medication for the 1 millionith time). I don't know if this is a state/nationwide policy? Anyway, do you always do it? The nurses on my floor do it when management is around - but when they're not, well, it's a different story :)

depends on how many meds that person is getting.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

We have computerized charting in my facility and we have to print out medication sheets every 4 hours that list the name of the patient, allergies, meds to be given in that time slot, and how to reconstitute the drugs (if necessary). I find it is easier to be able to do it this way because I get to read off the meds to the patient before I give them, I write little notes on them to go chart on the computer (such as refusals, medication reactions, patient complaints to tell the doctor or RN, etc...). We are also found in error if we don't carry it to the room. It is safer for me to do this, and it helps me keep a running tally on what I am doing. Also, I write a check next to what piggyback is currently running and how many more have to be hung, what patient I put on the bedpan, a whole host of reasons why I love those med sheets.

[noc4senuf]

We do not take the MARS in the room, or the med cart. "Infection Control". I have never seen it done in LTC. Our MARS have a picture of each resident on it, easily identifiable. Haven't seen name/wrist bands used in years. We also have all private rooms.