home meds

[mpccrn, BSN, RN]

Looking for how different units handle patient's home meds. We are horrible at returning them upon discharge. Currently, we put them in a bag with the patient's name on and put them on the countertop in a locked med room. I find them there long after the name on the bag even rings a bell and I'm looking for a better practice. Any ideas?

[sistrmoon, BSN, RN]

Do you use a bright colored flag/sheet on the chart to remind your nurses that the home meds are locked in the cabinet? That's what we do.

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

Do you use a bright colored flag/sheet on the chart to remind your nurses that the home meds are locked in the cabinet? That's what we do.

We do something similar, and leave a sticky note in Epic.

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

Once the med rec is done, unless there's a reason to keep them, why wouldn't they go home with family?

We also flag them if for some reason we need to keep them to give home meds that are not in formulary,

[firstinfamily, RN]

Do you use some type of discharge form? There could be an area on that form to remind the nurses about the medications. I agree with jadelpn, if the meds have been verified and the patient is not using them they should be returned home or given to the responsible party----make sure they sign a receipt for the medications and/or is documented in the chart.

[sistrmoon, BSN, RN]

I hate when people bring meds in, we have to count all of them(yes, even vitamins) with 2 nurses and label and tape them shut. But many times there is no one to send them home with.

[tokmom, BSN, RN]

I hate when people bring meds in, we have to count all of them(yes, even vitamins) with 2 nurses and label and tape them shut. But many times there is no one to send them home with.

I know, huge pain.

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

I hate when people bring meds in, we have to count all of them(yes, even vitamins) with 2 nurses and label and tape them shut. But many times there is no one to send them home with.

if there is someone to send them home with, do you still have to go through all that? If yes, that's a major waste of time!

[NotMyProblem MSN, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN]

If I encounter a patient who brings in the meds, I compose a list, print out the list, and send them (med's and the list) to the pharmacy for safe keeping. I also provide a copy of the list to the patient with instructions to add or remove medication names as necessary, and that the next time they come in to the hospital, bring the list instead of the medications. When the pharmacy returns the medications (they do this once the discharge order has been received in the pharmacy), the patient also receives the original list that I placed with the home meds. The only thing needed at that point is to edit the list if changes have been made during the course of the hospital stay. If so, I retrieve the list that I gave them on admission in exchange for the more accurate, discharge medication list.

[sistrmoon, BSN, RN]

if there is someone to send them home with, do you still have to go through all that? If yes, that's a major waste of time!

No. Only if we have to keep the meds. It's still a colossal waste of RN time. We should only have to count controlled substances.

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

No. Only if we have to keep the meds. It's still a colossal waste of RN time. We should only have to count controlled substances.

We don't even count. We just pop them into a respiratory bag with a sheet we sign and put a sticker on, and down it goes to pharmacy!

[firstinfamily, RN]

If home medications were not being used by the patient but were brought in by the family we would have the medications verified by pharmacy, narcotics were locked up, and we would give them to the family or responsible party having them sign the list of medications that had been brought in. Yes, it does eat up a lot of time. The medication reconcilliation was done with the home medications compared to the current list of medications prescribed by the attending MD, the MD was made aware of any discrepancies.