Splitting pills outside of nurse's scope of practice?

[thesundowner]

New at my hospital - nurses are no longer allowed to split pills. So, if we have a half dose to give, we have to call pharmacy and they have to split it for us/send it up to us (which takes approximately 100 hours because they are so swamped).

Do you split pills where you work?

[RNnbakes]

Will they allow you to crush the pills?

They need to send it up from the pharmacy all crushed up:lol2:.

[sapphire18]

You can't get a pill splitter that costs $1.49 in Walgreen's?? I think I'd be bringing in my own at that point.

Sure I can. That's not my responsibility. 1. It's not my home unit. 2. $1.49 adds up, have you ever bought anything for the workplace that hasn't "walked away"? 3. I have enough flushes, alcohol wipes, scissors, pens, sharpies/highlighters...you get the point...loading up my pockets to have room for a pill splitter that I'd only need once in a blue moon.

[MattNurse, MSN, RN]

I don't think I would give a pill crushed by someone else.

[PMFB-RN, RN]

Your hospital's policy and your scope of practice are in no way related.

[GitanoRN, BSN, MSN, RN]

your hospital's policy and your scope of practice are in no way related.

i agree with you, however, you must be aware of the hospital policies and the scope of practice that is expected of you in any given facility... just saying~

[RNsRWe, ASN, RN]

Sure I can. That's not my responsibility. 1. It's not my home unit. 2. $1.49 adds up, have you ever bought anything for the workplace that hasn't "walked away"? 3. I have enough flushes, alcohol wipes, scissors, pens, sharpies/highlighters...you get the point...loading up my pockets to have room for a pill splitter that I'd only need once in a blue moon.

Oh, I wasn't implying it was your responsibility, just that this happens to be an insanely cheap item that I've found easily on many hospital units. I hear you on the Things That Grow Legs problem, but for whatever reason, the pill splitter is the one thing that NEVER EVER picked itself up and walked. Maybe because everyone used it so often, it was always sitting there on the counter.

I've bought things for my convenience, like having my own pulse ox in my pocket for whenever, wherever I needed it. Didn't have to wait an hour for everyone else to take their vitals, didn't have to wait while someone searched for it in an emergency, and plain old didn't have to WAIT.

[PMFB-RN, RN]

i agree with you, however, you must be aware of the hospital policies and the scope of practice that is expected of you in any given facility... just saying~

*** i thought that was obvious and did not need pointing out. maybe i was wrong. my point being that the transport rn intubating and putting chest tubes in a patient on a ambulance or helicopter and the nursing home rn who hasn't seen an iv in years both have the same scope of practice in the state they practice in. the difference is in their facilities policies and their competencies.

not saying one is better than the other, just different skill sets. i can intubate with the best of them, but i suck at talking a slightly demented older gentelman into taking his medications.

[canned_bread]

What is the rationale for this?! We have a pill cutter for the hard to split pills or if it's important to get it accurate, but otherwise surely it doesn't matter!

[wooh, BSN, RN]

What is the rationale for this?!

I'm sure it's because our tiny little nursing brains aren't capable of understanding the difference between "half" and "whole." (Of course, there's the occasional med math question here that makes me think that perhaps this IS needed...)

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

I'll bet an error occurred and something bad happened .........like too much Coumadin because someone didn't/couldn't halve the coumadin/pill........so corrective actions we made to LTC. For not all who pass meds are nurses.