when you give a patient a pill..

[schilm15]

I had a patient who was known to have sundowners and become combative at night. Towards the end of my shift, I went into this patients room to give them their 8 pm meds which included lasix (yes this was varified with MD) and seroquel. The patient took their pills in applesauce r/r swallowing difficulties so I put the two small white pills in the applesauce and gave it to the patient. Then I seen him spit something out. "Was that your pill?!" I frantically asked. "Something was in my mouth," the now-even-more-confused-appearing patient replied. I looked all over the floor searching for the pill to see if I could identify which the patient had spit out. I finally seen the melted unidentifiable pill on the ground. Dang! I showed the pill to the admissions nurse who witnesses the whole thing. Then she said, "Welp, looks like night shift will either have an awful night or a really really good one." I gave report to the oncoming night shift and also gave them my deepest sympathies in case it was the seroquel. As I go to leave I hear the cna yell out for help as she was in the patients room. I ran in to find her in between my patient and his roommate. My patient was yelling that he was going to beat up that man for being in his house. All avenues were tried when I finally told someone to get the charge nurse immediately. A big ordeal later and the unsuccesful attempt of trying to get this man calmed down after taking him to the hallway, I realize I am unneeded and go to leave when the admissions nurse goes, "I guess he got the lasix." The night nurse, charge nurse, and myself could not stop laughing.

Lessons learned:

Give small look alike pills separate in applesauce if one is much needed

Always keep your chin up and look at the bright side, even when you feel like you are in a pitch black cave.

Sometimes humor is needed when exhaustion is overpowering.

[CBlover, BSN, RN]

LOL! Excellent advice. Poor poor night shift.

[ArlyleRN]

If you give a patient a pill, then they will want a drink of water.

If you give a patient a drink of water, then they will want a bedpan

If you give a patient a bedpan, then they will want ..........

[calivianya, BSN, RN]

If you give a patient a pill, then they will want a drink of water.

If you give a patient a drink of water, then they will want a bedpan

If you give a patient a bedpan, then they will want ..........

That's totally where my mind went, too.

Good tip with the separate pills! I almost always just crush them if I have to give them in applesauce anyway. Tastes nasty, but at least I know it's going down.

[blah_blah_blah]

That's totally where my mind went, too.

Good tip with the separate pills! I almost always just crush them if I have to give them in applesauce anyway. Tastes nasty, but at least I know it's going down.

mine too!