Pre-pouring or Preparing, That is the Question

[Dwifey]

Hello fellow correctional nurses i am in dersperate need of ur assistance and guidance. I am a very dedicated correctional nurse. Who is recently going through facility changes. With most changes Ive went with.However they are implementing a new one that I'm not too sure I agree with and that is prepouring meds. Or as they would like to call it preparing meds. Either way it would involve me placing my medications from my rounds in little envelopes with the inmates name and ID # on them.I would go out on my rounds with the mars and dispense the pills from the envelopes then. Ive tried several times to express my concerns on the matter and all they could tell me is "this is what other facilities do, So why cant you?"Do you guys think im over exaggerating? Is this prepouring or preparing? Do any other facilities do their meds this way? Im trying not to be difficult. I just want to do the right thing. Your input would be greatly appreciated.

[woknblues]

Is there any other way? I couldn't imagine pulling it as they walk up. It is all about moving the line, and watching the pills go down. Going out to do confinement with a cart would be the slowest dumbest most dangerous thing I could think of. Get in, get out.

[FootballGirl]

I do correctional nursing on a PRN basis (med/surg is my full time position) and the facility I work at in MN did the pre-pouring of medications into those packets when I first started there. When a new company took for the medical department for the county they forbid us to pre-pack meds. I feel it is much safer to NOT pre-pack.

[Neats, BSN]

At our facility we do both. We pop out pills in the am and noon as it is not a big pass time. At H.S. my nurses pre pull their meds due to the high number of them. It bothers me sometimes as the DON but as long as the nurse views the MARS while pre-pulling I do not mind. When I find the offendes name on the little white pill packages I do get upset and throw them away. I have seen staff carefully write out the information and reuse. This is what causes the med errors usually.

[lumbarpain, ADN, RN]

I am for prepouring meds and labeling and sealed properly. Anything to make a nurses job easier these days.