Medical Legislation and Standards

Question 1

Medication names

Answer 1

• Chemical—provides the exact description of medication’s composition. An example of a chemical name is N-acetyl-para-aminophenol, which is
  commonly known as Tylenol.
• Generic—the manufacturer who first develops the drug assigns the name, and it is then listed in the U.S. Pharmacopeia. Acetaminophen is an example of the generic name for Tylenol.
• Trade—also known as brand or proprietary name. This is the name under which a manufacturer markets the medication. The trade name has the symbol (™) at the upper right of the name, indicating that
  the manufacturer has trademarked the name of the medication (e.g., Panadol™ and Tempra™).

Question 2

Guidelines for Safe Opioid (Narcotic)

Administration and Control

Answer 2

• Store all narcotics in a locked, secure cabinet or container (e.g.,
computerized, locked cabinets are preferred).
• Maintain a running count of opioids by counting them whenever
dispensing them. If you find a discrepancy, correct and report it immediately.
• Use a special inventory record each time an opioid is dispensed.
Records are often kept electronically and provide an accurate ongoing
count of narcotics used, wasted, and remaining.
• Use the record to document the patient’s name, date, time of medication administration, name of medication, and dosage. If the agency keeps a paper record, the nurse dispensing the medication
signs the record. If the agency uses a computerized system, the computer records the nurse’s name.
• If a nurse gives only part of a dose of a controlled substance, a second
nurse witnesses the disposal of the unused part. Computerized systems record the nurses’ names electronically. If paper records are kept, both nurses sign their names on the form.
• Follow agency policy for appropriate waste of opioids. Do not place wasted parts of medications in sharps containers.