what would you do - meds w/o labels

[jnemartin]

scenario: a student brings in a wrapped/sealed med from home, but it's not in original packaging (like zofran, some ADHD medications, and even EPI pens, for example). consent is signed... what would you do?

• This happens to me all the time- sometimes parents will even bring the meds in like this with the consent filled out. They have no idea the meds need to be in original packaging. I understand why they do it (usually to split the med between home and school). What I've been doing is notifying parents of what is missing/required and holding the med in my office until the original packaging is brought in. My rationale is that it is safer for me to hold on to the med, rather than have the child keep it on person or send the med home and then the child has no access in case of emergency like EPI.
  

[Flare, ASN, BSN]

If the parent is the one bringing me a baggie of random meds, I simply won't accept it. I give them the afore mentioned ideas such as requesting the extra bottle or in the case where the parent brings in their only bottle, I will insist on keeping the bottle and giving them the loose baggie of pills. If it's a student bringing in the medication (whih for the record they are not supposed to be doing) i simply confiscate and call. I also look them up. If i get an unlabeled unhaled it doesn't bother me as much (i am usually just happy to have the asthma action plan and medication), especially if it's a student carry inhaler, but I will take the extra step to write the child's name on the outside and cover with a piece of tape.

[NutmeggeRN, BSN]

If the parent is the one bringing me a baggie of random meds, I simply won't accept it. I give them the afore mentioned ideas such as requesting the extra bottle or in the case where the parent brings in their only bottle, I will insist on keeping the bottle and giving them the loose baggie of pills. If it's a student bringing in the medication (whih for the record they are not supposed to be doing) i simply confiscate and call. I also look them up. If i get an unlabeled unhaled it doesn't bother me as much (i am usually just happy to have the asthma action plan and medication), especially if it's a student carry inhaler, but I will take the extra step to write the child's name on the outside and cover with a piece of tape.

I do the same and tell them if they get stopped by the police, and have that loose bag of meds, I will vouch for the meds that I have a container for.

[stephrooth]

I learned from here that you shouldn't take any meds from parents or students without any pharmacy label.

[AdobeRN]

I love how some of you are detectives and I guess I could be too...

I'm not wasting my time with that - haha. If I am not administering unlabeled meds I don't care what it is - they get labeled with students name, parent notified for pick up & thrown in my "to be picked up" basket where 90% of the time they sit there until the end of the year when I dispose of them.

[ruby_jane, BSN, RN]

I asked mom what the meds were and she said "an ADHD med, some vitamins and a couple other things." It was so bizarre haha!

Sweet baby Moses....

[EnoughWithTheIce]

Collect the med. Call the parent. Refuse to release the mystery medication wrapped in the napkin to anyone but a parent. Put it in a baggie if the parent won't come and dispose of the med per district policy.

I love how some of you are detectives and I guess I could be too...

I do this also!!! Even if I can identify it on Drugs.com, still do not know an expiration date if it is OTC or know if it is actually prescribed for that particular student if it is an RX drug. Parent can keep what they need in a baggie, take a pic of the RX label on their phone and leave me the original container.

[kidzcare]

I had a principal who was upset with me that I wouldn't give tylenol that the parent brought in a baggie. I guess the nurse before me had no problem breaking the law and she liked it since it made her job easier.

[NutmeggeRN, BSN]

Eeeps...I will not administer an unlabeled med. The parent can have the child called down, if they choose not to wait, I cannot help that and I am VERY clear about the safety issue.

[aprilmoss]

All medications must be in original containers and checked. Any that aren't are intercepted and parents called.

We allow a limited amount of students (I'm in high school) carrying inhalers and diabetic supplies, but the still need to comply.

Yes, we suggest that the pharmacies provide a second bottle for this. It's not been a problem.

[jnemartin, BSN, RN]

I learned from here that you shouldn't take any meds from parents or students without any pharmacy label.

absolutely never take random unlabeled meds from a parent - because the parent can just take them right back. But if a 12 y/o hands you some inappropriately packaged meds... do you hand it back? That is a huge liability in my opinion. I think the nurse should confiscate the med and notify parent. I'm helping my school determine policies on this sort of thing, so all input helps.

[jnemartin, BSN, RN]

Sweet baby Moses....

haha!

[jnemartin, BSN, RN]

Many of you are addressing what you would do if a child/parent hands you loose meds. That is obviously a no-go - I would not consider administering any of that. Although some are saying they would not take/confiscate the med from the student, and some are saying they would... interesting.