So frustrated right now! I witnessed a patient take his pain medication & a drink, and waited nearby (since we've had prior situations with this patient not taking the pain meds). I witnessed the patient take the pain meds out of their mouth & hide it under their sheet (they didn't realize I was watching). I am not allowed, per manage to, to confront the patient since they are a Veteran and I "will never win against a veteran".
This has happened numerous times with other patients, and when it is brought to the charge nurse, assistant manager then nurse manager, we are brushed aside and told pretty much there is nothing they can do since these patients are veterans! So I'm pretty much told to stand by & say nothing.
This is messed up & I do not feel the appropriate action is being taken!
There was a younger resident on another floor in a building I used to work in that routinely pocketed his Dilaudid to save up for injecting himself. As rumor had it, everyone that worked that floor knew of his habit. After I left that building, a nurse that still worked there told me that he had OD'd and died in his bathroom. I don't know what happened to the people who knew, but I'm certain it wasn't pretty. It can and does happen. It would behoove you to take whatever measures necessary to protect yourself and your pt.
I'm surprised at how many nurses are wondering why this is an issue. It is a safety issue for many reasons. Pain medications are to be taken when asked, not saved for later, which simply means the patient is not in pain, and therefore does not need the medication.
Maybe because of my specialty, but I do mouth checks with every narcotic/controlled drug administration. Patients have been found crushing their pain pills to snore them for "faster" relief. And my God, waht if they decide to take 10 oxycontin 100 mg at once one night because they want to finally go to sleep... Don't forget about the risk to other patients in the room that might take the medication.
In my line of work, when this happens, the provider is immediately contacted and patient's medications are either crushed in apple sauce or changed to liquid form immediately. The manager doesn't really have anything to do with this.
In my line of work, when this happens, the provider is immediately contacted and patient's medications are either crushed in apple sauce or changed to liquid form immediately. The manager doesn't really have anything to do with this.
Let's face it, nobody in their right mind wants to cheese off a patient in these days of ratings-driven healthcare. But sometimes we have no choice and the problem can't be solved by pretendiing it's not happening. The question is, how to go about it with minimal trauma for patient, staff and facility.
Thanks everyone. Glad to see I'm not overreacting about it! I have documented (and printed it off & stuck it in my file in my locker as a back-up). Went back and noticed that two other nurses' notes has miraculously disappeared out of the record, documenting the same type of behavior. The patient ended up being transported to the ICU for acute resp failure "due to possible OD" literally a few days after my original post. Never would've guessed that'd happen
Amen to that! you call them "saliva pills", but all they care about is getting their fix. It does not matter the source of what's in the "pill"... pretty sad, but true.
nursej22, MSN, RN
4,873 Posts
I would also keep a personal log of events. Documentation can disappear.