OTC medications for parents?

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi all! I have a question that just doesn't seem to be answered anywhere for me In the context that I would like.

I've been asked by multiple parents in the hospital if I can provide them with otc meds such as Tylenol or ibuprofen for a headache.

is it illegal to provide said parent with these these or just not recommended?

Thanks!

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Nope....don't do it. Direct them to the hospital outpatient pharmacy or gift shop.

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Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

They dose themselves = zero liability for you. You dose them = now you are liable for treating them. Think allergies, overdoses (how much Tylenol did they give themselves before asking you for some?), unknown medical conditions, etc. Direct them to the gift shop and explain that all medications given in the hospital by a provider has to be documented on and charged for and thus you are not permitted.

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Please tell me you are kidding! Even though Tylenol is OTC, you can't give it to a patient without an order. Why would you think handing out Tylenol to strangers is OK? You don't know their allergies, their medical background, last time they took Tylenol, etc. Plus, the hospital wants to get paid for those pills.

Sure, I might give my friend some Tylenol from my purse while we are at lunch. But if I'm in scrubs, no one is getting anything from me without an order.

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is it illegal to provide said parent with these these or just not recommended?

You can check your state's nurse practice act for hopefully a definitive answer. Generally unless specifically permitted, I'd go with it being not too much on the legal side. Why? These people are approaching you solely because of your role as an RN and while you are actually performing your role/professional duties, therefore it's not appropriate to apply lay standards to this situation. You have no order, they are not patients, none of the attendant rights of a proper legal medication administration are in order. You also have no way to document your care into a proper legal record, but that's nearly beside the point when nothing else about a patient relationship is intact.

Social work referral can be made if they don't have resources for these kinds of things.

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Specializes in Emergency, Telemetry, Transplant.

This has to be the 3rd or 4th question in the last few months about giving out OTC meds to a non-patient.

I would give a bottle of an OTC med to a coworker if they specifically ask for it. For example, coworker says "I have a headache. Do you have any Tylenol?" I usually don't have any meds with me, but, if I did, I would hand them the bottle and they could dose themselves.

Family member of a patient? Never. I have had this scenario happen where a family member asks for an OTC med--I give them directions to the gift shop.

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I have done it and will continue to do it. I suppose if it were frequent and "multiple parents" I'd start to wonder? It's probably happened 20 times in my 33 years of nursing.

Social workers and gift shops aren't available 24/7.

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Your safest bet is to direct them to the gift shop.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

I would not do so as you have no nursing relationship with them.

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Hi all! I have a question that just doesn't seem to be answered anywhere for me In the context that I would like.

I've been asked by multiple parents in the hospital if I can provide them with otc meds such as Tylenol or ibuprofen for a headache.

is it illegal to provide said parent with these these or just not recommended?

Thanks!

There is no way you're a nurse.

This is literally 1st semester nursing school stuff.

You only give medications with a provider's order. Standing or otherwise. If they want you to give them tylenol then you need to have a provider write the order.

Also I assume you meant "patient" not "parent"?

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Specializes in Infusion Nursing, Home Health Infusion.
There is no way you're a nurse.

This is literally 1st semester nursing school stuff.

You only give medications with a provider's order. Standing or otherwise. If they want you to give them tylenol then you need to have a provider write the order.

Also I assume you meant "patient" not "parent"?

Maybe she works in a pediatric setting and the parent has a headache.That is what I thought.

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Maybe she works in a pediatric setting and the parent has a headache.That is what I thought.

Even still, basic baby nurse first semester 101, you dont give patients any medications, even OTC, without orders.

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