Shared Eye Drops between patients

sharann, BSN, RN · Jun 23, 2004

This sounds bad for infection control reasons. Our pre-ops get their own drops I believe and what is not needed later is discarded. They take home the appropriate ones. Do you share eyedrops?

Dixiedi · Jun 23, 2004

Does anyone "share" eye drops between patients pre-op? If so, how long do you keep the opened drops?

Never! To much chance of cross contamination. Never share anything between pts.

rollingstone · Jun 23, 2004

I wouldn't do this.

IamRN · Jun 23, 2004

No. It goes against everything I have been taught dealing w/infection control.

carcha · Jun 25, 2004

We always open a fresh container for each patient, label it and send it back with the patient.

odatrn · Jun 28, 2004

We do not share any type of meds between patients. Every thing has to be labeled for that particular patient, so it couldn't be done.

HazeK · Jul 6, 2004

Does anyone "share" eye drops between patients pre-op? If so, how long do you keep the opened drops?

Your facility isn't really doing this, are they? ARGH!

Infection control & JCACHO would have a fieldday!

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Jul 6, 2004

Sharing eyedrops?? In a word: EEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWW. :uhoh21:

ceecel.dee, MSN, RN · Jul 28, 2004

Oh yes....it is done!

Cataract extraction cases all share the same pre-op med bottles at the 2 hospitals I work in. The same eye surgeon in both places. It's all about money. In fact, if we don't throw away the bottles after all patients are admitted, he will come by and slip them in his pocket to use on his clinic patients! He says, "if you are doing it right, there is no cross-contamination". In theory, he's right...and we are overly careful about it...but I fundamentally and totally disagree with the practice. (The department head of each hospital goes along with him because he is so adamant in his argument, and if anyone became infected, he would blame us instantaneously! Like he does nothing in the least invasive!) (now knocking on wood:o )

angel03 · Jul 30, 2004

Oh yes....it is done!
Cataract extraction cases all share the same pre-op med bottles at the 2 hospitals I work in. The same eye surgeon in both places. It's all about money. In fact, if we don't throw away the bottles after all patients are admitted, he will come by and slip them in his pocket to use on his clinic patients! He says, "if you are doing it right, there is no cross-contamination". In theory, he's right...and we are overly careful about it...but I fundamentally and totally disagree with the practice. (The department head of each hospital goes along with him because he is so adamant in his argument, and if anyone became infected, he would blame us instantaneously! Like he does nothing in the least invasive!) (now knocking on wood:o )

what a terrible practice...

CIRQL8 · Jul 30, 2004

Insurance auditors, medicare and medicaid will have a field day with this, too. You cannot charge a vial (or bottle) of the same medication to multiple patients. Can you say HUGE FINE???

And from an aspepsis standpoint - I echo the previous EEEWWWWW!!