Pulling Medications

We have 8 OR's and for each case we go to our "core" area to a locked med cart before the case and pull medications such as (local, heparin, Dextran, Bacitracin Ointment, etc). I find this to be time consuming when rushing to turn over the rooms. For a trial period I've been pulling the medications out ahead of time and putting them into the ziploc bags with the suture. The medications are no longer locked in the med cart at this point but are in a secured, clean/sterile area. What are your thoughts, suggestions, or any websites for a reference. I know that I will not be able to get pharmacy to pull the meds ahead of time so am looking for a time saver on our own end.

THANK YOU!!

I understand the problem all too well. We have little time and all too often, too little help getting rooms turned over. I've been known to pull meds ahead of time for the day's assignment but not often simply because our charge is so frequently changing things up that as sure as I do a 'prepared' pull, I get sent to a different room and either have to pass them off to the nurse now circulating that room or return them to the pyxis. Rarely is the case that this happens and the room I'm taking over has that nurse prepared and pulled the meds for the case and as a rule, i'm taking over a caseload that's running behind schedule. As far as putting them in ziploc bags, I suppose that's a good idea. I've either put them in my pocket or on the cart with the case supplies. Putting them on the cart has been helpful when I've been pulled to another case and the rn taking over easily finds it and I'm not stuck with a pocket full of meds that I either didnt' have time to pass off to the rn or forgot to do altogether and then have to return them to the Pyxis.

I'm not helping you here. I do feel better tho I wish I had some answers. Pharmacy won't pull our stuff ahead of time, they don't have access to our pick sheets so they wouldn't know what to pull anyway.

Some nurses in our OR pull meds ahead of time, others (myself included) pull them case by case.

In any event do NOT pull narcotics ahead of time! If a vial of Lidocaine gets misplaced, it's not a huge deal, but if Morphine "vanishes" and you signed it out, you're in deep doo-doo...

Every morning, I pull at least one of the following:

10ml vial of IVNS (for mixing meds).

1% lidocaine plain.

0.25% marcaine plain.

0.25% marcaine with epi.

These are good to have in your room at all times in case you need them quickly.

I pull meds needed for the day. It's timesaving, and one less thing to have to hunt down.

We have a satelite pharmacy in our OR suite. They have all of our meds pulled and in a baggy ready for pickup between cases.