What are your procedures?

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Hello all!

I'm currently looking over my protocols for various things and feel like some updates are needed. Especially for my "missing medication" protocol. As it stands, I'm just supposed to notify the parent and the principal. Nothing else. This feels like it's not enough so I'm curious to know what your protocols are if you find that you are missing some of a medication. Fingers crossed this isn't something I need to use, but I'd rather have it crystal clear in the event that something happens!

Thanks in advance!

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Specializes in School Health.

My procedure is exactly the same.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Oncology, School Nursing, OB.

Medication should not go missing. I've never had this happen in 16 years of school nursing. We keep ours locked up. We count when we get them, count how much is given, count how much is left over, chart any wasted with a witness, have parents sign for how much is picked up. All that is documented. I suppose if something did go missing I'd be investigating what happened. Did I count wrong, did someone steal it, did one get dropped, etc. One pill probably not that big of deal but several would be a HUGE deal! I'd probably fill out a medication incident report and notify the principal and parent. I'd also ask our head nurse what else to do. I really don't know what our "official" policy is since it's never come up. Prevention is the key!

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Specializes in ICU/community health/school nursing.
22 minutes ago, Blue_Moon said:

We keep ours locked up. We count when we get them, count how much is given, count how much is left over, chart any wasted with a witness, have parents sign for how much is picked up.

When I was at the high school level, only myself and my aide had a key to the med cabinet. Here at the elementary level, I have a key and both front desk ladies have keys because they're my back up. In HS I never, ever worried that a count would be off. Here, I came in one morning to find the med cart unlocked. And I documented and counted the meds with street value but never say never about missing meds, especially when other humans have the keys.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Oncology, School Nursing, OB.

I agree 100%! I'm like I hope I'm not jinxing myself here because it COULD happen. Praying it doesn't!

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1 hour ago, Blue_Moon said:

Medication should not go missing. I've never had this happen in 16 years of school nursing. We keep ours locked up. We count when we get them, count how much is given, count how much is left over, chart any wasted with a witness, have parents sign for how much is picked up. All that is documented. I suppose if something did go missing I'd be investigating what happened. Did I count wrong, did someone steal it, did one get dropped, etc. One pill probably not that big of deal but several would be a HUGE deal! I'd probably fill out a medication incident report and notify the principal and parent. I'd also ask our head nurse what else to do. I really don't know what our "official" policy is since it's never come up. Prevention is the key!

I agree 100% that it definitely shouldn't go missing! We count regularly as well and there are only 2 keys to my med cabinet. 1 I keep on me at all times (I even take it home at the end of the day) and the other is with my admin assistant as she is my back up when I'm not on this campus. I was just perusing our policies and felt this one needed a little more added to it because missing meds are a big deal! Especially those with some street value, like Ruby mentioned ?

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20 hours ago, Whatthefrick said:

My procedure is exactly the same.

It's kind of comforting to hear it's done like this on another campus too! I was worried something had been missed when policies were written!

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We don't have a policy on that but we should. I dropped some meds with street value once and was luck that most were on the clean, dry counter and only 2 fell on the floor where I could see them. They very easily could have rolled behind heavy cabinets or landed in a splash on water and then they would count as missing/wasted.

Often at camp, parents give me exactly what I need for the week and I handle them like rare gems. I fear the day a kid might trouble swallowing and spit one out making it useless like even experienced pill takers do from time to time.

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