Giving a placebo in PACU?

Specialties Ambulatory

Published

Specializes in Outpatient.

I work in a very busy surgery center where we recover many pain patients(steroid injections), these patients tend to come back often. There is one patient who comes in and immediately starts demanding his Demerol he usually gets in the recovery room, the doctor orders say give "saline" IM, however the nurses are instructed to tell the patient it is Demerol, everyone refuses to do this except our so called charge nurse....does anyone have any experience with this? Is this legal? I feel it's definitely unethical. Any thoughts or comment would be appreciated.

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Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

Highly unethical and quite possibly illegal, depending on what happens on the back end with billing. It amounts to malpractice, both on the part of the physician, as well as any of the nurses who are carrying out this order.

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.

Illegal. Unethical. You could lose your license. Tell the doc no.

Sent from my iPhone.

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.

Where will this dr. be when you get your buttocks handed to you?

In all seriousness, NO you cannot lie about what you are giving. You are absolutely right to refuse this order.

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.

Or I should say, when your charge gets her buttocks handed to her. I meant "you" as in a generic, not "you" jenlynnrn ;)

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.

I would be worried that if you were the attending RN for that patient, knew this was happening, and complacent you would also be named in that lawsuit. You are the patient's advocate/protection.

Sent from my iPhone.

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What a mess.. I would refuse to comply with this order. When the patient finds out they might sue. I wouldn't want to be named in that lawsuit. Protect yourself.

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Specializes in Outpatient.

Ha, yeah i know!

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.

Report them.

If the patient is your professional responsibility you MUST inform the patient and document intentional misleading of the patient in the medical record. Initiate and submit an incident report. Notify your malpractice insurer.

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