Policy Manual sample

MDT Home Health Care Agency, Inc. MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION DRUG ADMINISTRATION Policy All drugs and treatments are administered by agency Registered Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses only as directed by the physician. Our Board of Director approve to administer to our patient’s all drugs ordered by the patient’s physician without restriction by our nursing personnel. The routes of administration that are allowed are: oral, intramuscular, subcutaneous, intravenous, intrathecal, epidural, and rectal. The following are reviewed prior to administering the first dose in the home: • The date the patient last received the medication, including any response • The history of being allergic to this class of medication • Orders have been received outlining the steps to take and the medication(s) to be given should an anaphylactic reaction occur • Giving the first dose in the hospital, physician..s office or other medical facility has been considered and has been rejected • The route of administration has been specified • The location and phone numbers for emergency support have been identified and a procedure to utilize these facilities has been developed • The nurse administering the medication stays with the patient at least one hour after the administration of the medication to insure the patient has tolerated the medication well • The appropriate monitoring of the patient after the first dose is administered Procedure 1. All prescriptions in the patients home must be labeled and verified upon Completing of the initial visit and as new medications are dispensed. 2. Agency nursing staff must check all medications a patient maybe taking to identify possible adverse reactions, significant side effects, drug allergies, contraindicated medication and noncompliance. A medication profile that includes the following is maintained in the clinical record: name of drug, dosage, route, actions. 3. All problems must be immediately reported to the physician. Nursing staff must monitor Medications on each skilled visit by verifying all medications and updating the medication profile as needed. 4. Medications administered by agency personnel will be documented on the daily nursing note or may be maintained on a medication administration record. 5. The agency retains the right to refuse to give medication if the order is contraindicated relating to the patients physical status or outside the parameters of standards of practice for agency personnel. 6. On occasion a patient may request some assistance with self-administered medications. The supervisory Registered Nurse will assess the patients need and may assign ancillary personnel (aide) with written request from the patient or family to perform assistance with medication administration. Home Health Agency Nursing Manual J-39