self medication

[nimmue]

Hi I am looking for information on self-medication, in quite a broad sense. This might be policies for patients holding their own medication [or not] in your hospital, or assisting someone to self-medicate, for example, an ex-institution patient. Or what the term implies to you.

Really Grateful

Nimmue

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Rach

[OBNURSEHEATHER]

Hello there! At the hospital I work at, a patient may use their own medications from home for pre-existing conditions if the doctor wries the order stating such ("pt may take own home meds"). We also give all of our post partum patients a "self medication kit", consisting of small sized bottles of Tylenol, Motrin, and a stool softener. We do assess the patients ability to self medicate and have, on accasion, not given the pack to a patient. Hope this helped you out!

[mustangsheba]

"Self medication" is a term also used to describe the use of alcohol or other street drugs to treat symptoms not addressed or not adequately treated by mainstream medicine. For example, a person may have chronic, intractable pain for which they cannot get relief, so they "self-medicate" by adding alcohol to their Tylenol and ibuprofen.

[PPL, BSN, RN]

Hi. Our facility also allows meds from home, meds at bedside, etc., if the physician writes the order, and then pharmacy has to identify that the meds from home are in fact actually correct. If there is a question, it is not allowed, and the ordered meds are obtained from pharmacy, as per usual. I also agree with mustangsheba's post re the other self-medication.