Meds. off floor taste YUMMY!

DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN · Sep 9, 2005

So, just curious as to what everyone else thinks about this. I've seen several nurses drop meds on the floor in front of their patients, pick them up, and give them anyways. Is this common? I asked one nurse about it and she said that it saves the hospital money... but I was taught that's not proper practice. So what do you think about this and what do you do when you drop meds?
~Crystal

The floors are so nasty. Think of where are your shoes have been, and all the other shoes that have stepped on that floor. My rule is "If I wouldn't take it myself, I won't give it to a patient". If I drop one at home on the floor, I'll take it. In the hospital or anywhere else out in public, NO WAY !

MichaelLooney · Sep 9, 2005

I was working as a psych nurse in a psych hospital. I saw a little old man pull a dirty plastic cup out ot the garbage can, take the cup to the water fountain and drink it. I was new, so I mentioned it to my mentor. She said, "Oh he always does that-you'd be amazed at what else he does.????????????

We had a resident who kept doing that. We solved the problem by simple crunching up the cups before we threw them away. Only took one crunch in the hand, drop it in the trash, and she'd leave it alone.

I always think about how sometimes its the simplest things that make the biggest differences.

krisssy · Sep 9, 2005

We had a resident who kept doing that. We solved the problem by simple crunching up the cups before we threw them away. Only took one crunch in the hand, drop it in the trash, and she'd leave it alone.
I always think about how sometimes its the simplest things that make the biggest differences.

great idea!

talaxandra · Sep 9, 2005

For all the reasons stated, I always discard dropped meds (however painful doing so sometimes is). But man, there are some patients whose meds I'm so tempted to drop and administer...!

lpnstudentin2010, LPN · Sep 9, 2005

the nurses in my hospital put them in a cup somewhere else so if they are droped and then given to a pateint the patient would not even know...though I dont think any of the nurses would do this since it is a pedeatric hospital.

Indy, LPN, LVN · Sep 10, 2005

If the wrapper is not opened, then the pill is not contaminated. Yes, you can tear open a wrapper without having your hands or the outside of wrapper touch the pill.
We use souffle cups, if I have to go any distance (like say med cart to room for instance), I "crush" the top of the souffle cup inwards to prevent accidental spillage.

What on earth is a souffle cup?

DusktilDawn · Sep 10, 2005

What on earth is a souffle cup?

Those paper cups for meds.

NYCRN05 · Sep 10, 2005

As nasty as the flors are in the hospital???? NEVER. I drop my fair share, and it is always in front of the patient. Grace was not something God blessed me with. I am always flipping those little buggers across the room as I try and pop em out of those blasted blister packs.

Thank God!!!! I'm not the only butter fingered nurse out there :-) I thought it was a new grad thing with me.

chichesterj · Sep 13, 2005

I think that is is gross to give meds off the floor eww the germs however i have dropped a narc before and just didn't wanna deal with the hassel of finding another nurse and wasting it so yeah i have picked it up and gave it but i felt real guilty afterwards then you have pt's that see you drop them and still want them you have to argue with them to get them another pill. :)

HappyNurse2005, RN · Sep 13, 2005

I thought of this thread when a Coumadin and Ultram I was taking to a pt went flying across the floor, and I went back to get more. LOL.

kadokin, ASN, RN · Sep 13, 2005

When I was in nursing school I saw a nurse drop a suppository on the floor and pick it up and shove it in the pt's butt. Of course he had his back turned to her. I was appalled! She said "honey, your butt is far from sterile". Whatever, thats just gross.

hmmm. It's not, you know, sterile, that is. Your mouth isn't either, still. . .

kadokin, ASN, RN · Sep 13, 2005

What???
I got sent home from clinical to change because I let my KNEE touch the floor when I bent down to adjust a feeding tube!!!

Good God Gerty, If we all went home to change every time our clothing touched something quesitionable, the pts would be left to care for each other. Because there would be no staff available. They would be at home, changing their clothing :rotfl: