alimill

I was helping a fellow co-worker yesterday in the ER with her abd pain patient. I had started the line, drew blood, gave zofran and started NS. I walked out and gave her the Dilaudid that was ordered and said "he doesn't have a ride and I don't give pain medications to patients with no ride" She replies "pancreatitis is one of the worse things that you can have and when the patient says he has pain you have to believe him" Did I feel bad? Kind of. Is my nursing license worth losing on a patient who "promises to call a cab if you give him pain medication?" NO! Another nurse I work with stated she gave over 10mg Morphine to a mother with 2 kids with no other adult with her that ended up literally running out of the door to her car! How do you other ER nurses feel about this subject?

We have recently went to Epic at my hospital and there are integrated care sets that the physicians have put together. We care encouraged to do it, especially when there are several hour waits, however, there are people that say "what if they are a left without being seen pt and they get charged for running lab and other diagnostics?" so....i'm on the fence about this subject.