Published
As a little background.. I work in an LTAC in a very rural area. My situation involves an elderly man who has a terminal illness and is vent dependant. His family wants him to take "herbal medications" in belief that it will cure him. Now I really don't have anything against alternative treatment but these herbs are two trashbags full of glass bottles with papers tapes labeled "AM herbs" and "PM herbs". Now there are bottles like you would get from GNC but they want you to give 4* the amount as recommended on the bottle. When I looked closer at who prescribed these meds I saw it was from a Phd in South America.
So anyway, I approached the MD who approved these "herbs" and all he said was "look, I just wanted the daughter to shut up". I asked "Well, do you think their safe?" and he said "I don't know". So with that, I refused to give. I told the CN I wasn't comfertable giving this stuff but if she was, go right ahead. So anyway, I got a lecture on how alt therapy has healed grandma and grandpa and I shouldn't judge. I tried telling them it wasn't that I didn't believe in alt therapy, my problem was I didn't know what I was giving and how it was going to affect the patient or interact with his other meds (heart meds, seizure meds..) Furthermore, this man is a full code and his family does not believe he will die anytime in the near future.
So its a mess... I am catching grief at work about how I am making things too complicated and that I should just give the meds to make the family happy.
What do ya think?
Allison
Hmmmm, why don't the doctor and management tell the family if they want grandpa to have the herbs, they need to take him home and be the 24 hour care givers. That way, they are the ones responsible when something happens. No, I would not give and would not be bullied into giving unmarked meds.
linzz
931 Posts
No you are not being anal at all. I am in agreement with the other posters. I would not give these herbs out at all. Your licence can't be replaced, your job can be replaced although that won't likely happen. I sure hope that your facility comes to their senses soon.