Policy Manual sample

MDT Home Health Care Agency, Inc. POLICY ON ADMINISTRATION OF DRUGS AND BIOLOGICALS Pharmaceuticals and/or perform special treatments MDT Home Health Care Agency, Inc. shall observe the following rules regarding the administration of drugs and biologicals. The policies shall include the following: a) All orders for medication to be given by the agency health professional staff shall be dated and signed by the attending physician, physician assistant, or advanced registered nurse practitioner, acting within his or her respective scope of practice; b) All orders for medications shall contain the name of the drug, dosage, frequency, method or site of injection, and permission from the physician if the patient or the family are to be taught to give the medication c) All verbal orders for medication or change in medication orders shall be taken by a registered nurse, a licensed practical nurse, or by a licensed therapist, limited to medications within the therapist’s scope of practice, and reduced to writing and signed, with title, by the physician within twenty four (24) days of the receipt of the verbal order d) Experimental drugs, sera, allergenic desensitizing agents, penicillin or any other potentially hazardous drugs shall not be given without the fully informed consent of the patient or family. The nurse administering such drugs shall have an emergency plan and whatever drugs or devices are appropriate in reversal or drug reaction. e) Only medications from clearly labeled containers can be administered. Medication labels will be checked for expiration date and for stability, including signs of deterioration, dampness, cloudiness, residue, discoloration, etc. f) A medication profile is used to evaluate the patient is current medication regimen. g) The nurse performs ongoing medication monitoring to ensure appropriateness and continuity of care and includes information necessary for creating an accurate medication history and a complete medication profile and to identify the potential complications from the therapy being provided. This monitoring process helps ensure the safety of the medication use process. h) Intravenous antibiotics shall not be administered in the home unless the initial dose has been administered prior in the hospital, physician's office, outpatient facility, or any other physician supervised setting. i) Any nurse administering "high tech" therapy (venipuncture, intravenous therapy, chemotherapy and total parenteral nutrition must have specialized training and education or certification from an approved intravenous therapy course. j) All orders. for injectable antibiotics are subject to review by the coordinating nurse in consultation with the Director of Nursing, Clinical Manager. k) The amount of fluid to be given in one injection of any kind of medication must not exceed 6 cc. A total of l0 cc may be given in one day (using multiple injections). Home Health Agency - - Skilled Professional Services D-63