I left hospital nursing prior to pyxis invention, bar coding meds etc.
Thinking how med administration is designed to cut down on patient error/theft/drug abuse but is more time consuming opening each tiny med packet, scanning and recording. Darn if I don't have difficulty at home opening benadryl blister pack....iron tablets backing and plastic holder refuse to budge quite often (packaged to prevent kids from OD on iron tablets as happened in past)
Sometimes long for the days of having little white paper box with plastic slide that you could easily remove pills from (unless your arm got jostled from passing staff/patient and pills went flying everywhere).....
Thankfully, filling out individual patient tags for souffle cups filled with meds then placing in metal tray for entire floor ceased at start of my training.
Glad glass IV bottles thing of past...
took just on patient in DT's that smashed bottle on edge of night stand standing their threatening me to realize how dangerous they could be as a weapon....thankfully my 70 yo aide walked in, and in 70's speak, trash talked patient into submission "Boy look at that mess I now have to clean up, get the h.... back in your bed"....learned alot from THAT encounter
Lets turn back time and reminence about passing/administering meds in days gone by.....
