Nhs Hospital Drugs

[237SJ]

When someone is in an NHS hospital and drugs are issued, are they cross checked?

[bednobs]

it depends what you mean, One nurse will dispense them to a patient, but they will have been checked in pharmacy

[Baldric]

What,^^^ even when they come 'round with the Drugs Trolley?

[237SJ]

I mean, when they are given to a patient, do two people check that the correct drugs are given?

[ummmm]

I assume so. They check for any allergies etc

[CrapAtCryptics]

I did some support work in a mental health hospital wing and all medication was checked by two people before issuing.

[Baldric]

I've had a couple of spells as an Inpatient in the last 3 years, I've never seen the DRugs Trolley operated by more than one person.

[TonyV]

I can only speak from my current experience. My partner is in an intensive care unit at the moment. All her drugs an drips are checked by 2 nurses on the ward, plus I assume by the pharmacist prior to reaching the ward.

[237SJ]

Thanks. Just wondering why my neighour went into hospital to have an anti coagulant injected into a DVT and got a coagulant injected instead which resulted in him needing his leg amputated. Disgusting. Even in my place of work, we get drugs checked between two of us before we issue them.

[Patsy33]

Omg.. That's awful...

[Sqad]

I'm not a nurse, but i think it varies from hospital to hospital and also depends upon staffing levels.
All drugs taken by mouth need only be checked by one nurse.
All drugs given intravenously or parenteraly are checked by two nurses.
All class A drugs e.g morphine are checked by two nurses.
All cancer drugs are checked by two nurses.

237........that is terrible......the lawyers will have a field day.

[237SJ]

I know Sqad and good luck to them

[ummmm]

Really Sqad. I was given Morphine in my house by an ambulance man.

[Sqad]

ummmm.......that doesn't make it correct procedure.

[Sqad]

"When someone is in an NHS hospital and drugs are issued, are they cross checked?"

ummmm...the question is about In-patients....in the hospital.

[ummmm]

OK.

[237SJ]

Sqad - sent you an email

[jakep]

Sorry, I realise that the OP was in regard to hospital procedure.
Just that I picked up a new prescription from my local pharmacy this morning. When I got home and looked at the box, there was a new section on the label.
Issued by and checked by. The signatures in each box were identical!

[Peter Pedant]

This is all a bit third party ( as usual on AB)
and it depends on the circumstances

I agree having had an admission, that one nurse does the night round and if you needed two nurses for everything, no one would get any of their drugs
BUT
morphine is usually checked by two ( and entered on the morphine register than requires two signatures)
Ivs and drips are checked - blood by at least two
Intensive care - as above

chemotherapy - two again

Sqad when he gave a drug would NOT check his drug with anyone

erm so it really depends on the circumstances....and the pt knows and we dont. I assisted someone who objected to the smell of a stitch abscess which she insisted was due to lack of - - - yup - anticoagulants. And at the meeting she was shown the prescription sheet and the signature of the nurse who had no doubt given the anticoagulant. The patient had forgotten - ( premed )

I have to say - injecting an anticoagulant into a DVT sounds a bit sporting .... everyone knows of anticoagulants being given where the course of the disease is NOT changed - but that is not due to wrong drug or wrong dose....

If they have done the wrong drug bit
they are now under a duty to tell the patient
( duty of candour )
so all you do is sit back and wait and the money pours in

[rowanwitch]

A significant amount of research has shown that fewer errors occur with single nurse administration even with I.V. drugs. This is because the very fact of third party checking discourages full attention as there is a reliance on the other person to pick up errors. The exception is controlled drugs where there is a requirement for a two signature check and administration. The direction however is for patient self administration of oral drugs with supplies dispensed on an individual basis and stored in locked compartments in the patients locker or mounted in the bed space.

[bodeker]

When I have been in hospital when the drugs come round its only been 1 nurse but when I have been given a drip of some kind its usually 2 nurses . And I usually get a visit from the pharmacy as well at some point .