I am absolutely for this petition as a technician who works the night shift solo with one pharmacist. It is very time comsuming and combersome to track a nurse down to sign for narcotics especially when they have no idea what you are going to do with them once they sign for them. The medication is signed out of NarcStation, which is accounting for the vault count, as well as stating where the drugs are going. The medication, as well as the count, is then verified by a pharmacist before delivery. Once the medication reaches the floor, we have to find a nurse willing to sign for the narcotics, then the count is added to the AccuDose/Pyxis, making for easy catch of a mistake, as it would be caught with the next AccuDose or Pyxis transaction. I feel with all the automation that we have in place, this paper trail is just a waste of paper, Pharmacy Technicians time, as well as Nurses time. I am constantly being asked "what exactly am I signing for", with a lot of hesitation and disgruntlement.". This makes the process even longer because then I have to explain that is a state law, not a federal law, and that I absolutely agree with them that it is a waste of their time, as well as mine.
What they are verifying is that the count is correct, but is this really necessary? Isn't all of this easily tracked by NarcStation, the pharmacist signature, as well as the AccuDose/Pyxis machine? If there is a problem, it can always be solved with a transaction report. Why do the nurses need to be pulled away from their patients, when they are scarce and extremely busy, for this? I think this whole process should be reconsidered for everyone involved. It would greatly improve patient care, as well as allow the pharmacy technician to deliver something to the floor in a timely manner.
Thank you for considering this change.