From: Michele Durda
Sent: 27 August, 2018 10:57 AM
To: Unit Directors; Charge Nurses; Education Council; Health Care Assistant ( former allhuc)
Cc: Pharmacists
Subject: Patient's own supply of medications changes beginning 9/4 - PLEASE READ
Attachment: POM for Nurses August 2018
To improve patient safety, the use of the patient's own supply of medication will now be restricted to medications that are not stocked by Pharmacy. 

Please view the attached flyer for important information about this change.

Who will decide whether the patient's own supply will be used?
*The pharmacist will determine whether a patient's own medication will be used in the hospital. 
*If a physician writes an order for the patient to use his/her own supply of a medication that is stocked by Pharmacy, the pharmacist will adjust the order to use the hospital supply.

How will I know whether to use the patient's own supply?
*The pharmacist will communicate with you if a patient needs to use his/her own supply for a non-stocked drug (but it was not ordered that way).
*If a pharmacist adjusts a physician order for "use own supply" to use the hospital's medications, he/she will add a comment to the order "Use of hospital meds per P&T".

Where should patient's own medications be stored?
*If the patient will NOT be using the medications in the hospital, send them home with a family member (if possible); otherwise, treat as a valuable and send to Security.
*If the patient WILL be using the medication in the hospital, store it in the medication room in a clean plastic bag.

Who should administer patient's own supply of medications?
*The nurse, UNLESS the physician has specified that the patient is to "SELF-ADMINISTER". Please discourage self-administration whenever possible (unless it is to be performed under nurse observation for education purposes).

Be sure to hand off patient's own medications to the receiving nurse at transfer and return the medication to the patient at discharge.
--
Michele Durda, Pharm.D.
Medication Safety/Drug Utilization Pharmacist