workforce
Take drug
control
seriously
N
The public must
have confidence
in nurses’ ability
and willingness
to practise proper
medication
management.
Those who
violate that
trust rarely get
off lightly.
By Scott Trueman
30 agedcareinsite.com.au
urses are entrusted with significant
responsibility in relation to the handling,
dispensing and giving of medications.
Accordingly, it is important that such trust is
not abused. The public expects the highest of
standards and professionalism from nurses. Hence
any breaches are treated as serious and penalties
can be significant, so as to reassure the public of
safe medication management and maintain its
confidence. A recent disciplinary hearing reinforces
these points.
On October 24, 2014, a nurse inappropriately
administered one tablet of Risperidone each to three
patients – B, C and D – from patient A’s Webster
pack, did not document the administration of
Risperidone to Patients B, C and D, did not discuss his
concerns about the medication regime of Patients
B, C or D, with any medical practitioner at the
hospital and failed to obtain a written order prior to
administering the tablets.
For six months leading up to that incident, the
nurse had also inappropriately removed Risperidone
tablets from a number of residents’ Webster
packs and administered the medication, about
twice a week, to patients B, C and D. In doing so,
the nurse did not discuss his concerns about the
medication regime of patients with medical officers,
senior nursing colleagues or the patients prior
to administration.
The only oral evidence at the hearing was from
the nurse. Under cross-examination, he agreed
that he gave someone’s drugs to another patient.
When asked directly why he took the drugs from
patient A, he said “they were there”, and when further
questioned responded with “... What [do] you want
me to say?” The tribunal was left with no satisfactory
explanation. He accepted that in acting as alleged on
October 24, 2014, he was not acting in accordance
with hospital protocols. He made no assessment of
the patient, did not administer the medication from
the appropriate container, did not check the relevant
medication charts and took it upon himself to
dispense medication against policy and good clinical
and medical practice. When asked why he acted
in this way, and whether it was easier to have less
disruptive patients, the nurse said there were some
patients who had an ability to reason, but others
could not.
In relation to the six-month period in 2014, during
which the nurse had taken medication from some
patients’ supplies to give it to others, the nurse said it
was his usual practice to act in this manner and give