NURSING NIGHTMARES
Preventing Medication Mishaps
From people to pets and plants, some principles apply
Note: This isn’t a primer for nurses. We already know what a beast medication management can become. This is the first of several articles exploring different aspects of medications for the general population. If it prevents one dangerous act of mishandling medication, I will consider it a job well done. All names have been changed to protect the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Just when I thought I heard it all, Miss Kerfuffel entered my office. She seemed innocent and unassuming, but I knew what she was up to. She wanted a controlled medication. One of the docs didn’t want to deal with her anymore, so they transferred her to me. It was becoming monotonous.
She wouldn’t like me for very long. I expected the fangs to be bared forthwith.
“Tell me what has been happening since you were last seen.”
Sadly, she reported that her boyfriend had died. I wasn’t prepared for that, but I remained quietly curious and encouraged her to tell the story. She said he died from an overdose of muscle relaxants.
They weren’t prescribed for him. They were hers. Odd. Muscle relaxants weren’t listed as one of the medications she was taking. “He…
