Dispensing medications for outbound patient transfers

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Avo Arikian
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Joined: 03/27/2018 - 14:28
Dispensing medications for outbound patient transfers

Hello,

Our institution is looking to establish a formalized process for the outbound transfer of patients to other facilities, including the dispensing and administration of medications as part of the process. These patients may be critically ill and/or be in transit for several hours before reaching their destination, so the RN taking care of them this time may need to hang new infusion bags or administer medications based on changes in clinical status. We have contemplated developing a transport kit that contains a core set emergency medications, plus additional medications that might be needed depending on the patient.

Does anyone have a policy/procedure or insight that they would be willing to share in this regard? Any information would be appreciated, but we are especially interested in coming up with a good solution for controlled substance chain of custody, security and waste. The RN will have a laptop with the EMR for documentation and will be coordinating with a provider by phone for any new medication orders.

Thank you,
Avo Arikian