JMH

Steph - You say you remember being taught how to waste meds in school... was it a clinical experience? Just verbal instruction? Or can I find this principle in a text book somewhere? ktwlpn - Employee was terminated, and isn't happy about it.

P_RN - A specific hospital procedure manual won't do me too much good at this point. I'm hoping to show it's a wide spread, well-known principle. Ideally, I could have found it in a nursing text book! I will ask the board of nursing, though; thanks!

P-RN - Nope, not a school paper. It's for a legal brief. I'm an attorney, hoping to show that throwing a pill in a trash can is not the best way to waste a narcotic...

ktwlpn - Thanks for the information. I'm actually not a nursing student either. I understand the premise of wasting in a secure receptacle. My problem is I have to prove that is common knowledge... which is hard to do when it's not written down anywhere!! Any suggestions on where to look?

P_RN - You say "during clinicals" - I'm assuming this means it's not learned from a text book, but is learned from an instructor verbally at some point? (FYI, I am not an RN...). Have you ever seen anything in writing that provides guidelines for appropriate places to waste?

Chttynurs - I understand the witness requirement. But how do you decide those places are proper for disposal? Is the topic dealt with at all in nursing school?

Redshiloh - You say down the sink... Can you explain more? Did you learn this principle in nursing school? Are there other appropriate places?

Hi - I am looking for some general information on proper methods to "waste" a narcotic. I am aware that most hospitals typically require a witness to the wasting, but would like to know more about appropriate methods of wasting. Can anybody help? Thanks.