Morning report: another mistake. Ladies, beware shift change.

Firstly, Judy's breast pain is down to manageable levels (quote). Her muscle pain is 7. She didn't sleep at all, partly due to Rx snafus. She's not quite ready to go home.

Apparently a big Rx snafu took place. We're in the process of unravelling it. She moved from postop to the floor during or around shift change. Either the surgeon or the post op nurse said she'd call, or called, J's Rx's down the the pharmacy. Intake schedule was 8:30p in everyday life. We should have gotten involved when 8:30 came and went. LESSON: TOLERATE NO DELAYS; ACT ON ANY DELAY AT THE MOMENT THE CLOCK STRIKES WHATEVER HOUR THE DELAY OCCURS AT. Even @ 9:30 when C and I returned from dinner, none of us thought to deal w/it. Result: big snafu. No meds til midnight. Administered how? The pharmacist from the south campus came by on her way home to inspect J's meds and dispense...the pharmacist from the tiny little facility J's in had gone home. Night shift nurses claimed no order on J's chart (contradicting the nature of the prior staff's communique to us). LESSON: PROACTIVELY FOLLOW UP EVERYTHING THAT'S SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN ACROSS ANY LOCATION CHANGE.

The nurse last night (J's nurse happened to = charge nurse also) was gonna blow it off and let her wait until the AM. Cathy intervened and got the ball rolling. The all stopped short of calling the surgeon late at night, tho J had her #.

I'll post the rest of the gory details when we've unravelled this. J's massage therapist will do a home visit whenever.

There's some law about Rx intake, and to be sure lay persons ought not be popping pills on whims after anesthesia. Question: could a POA or family member be held legally culpable for breaking a law if s/he gives a pt her Rx? -- in this instance all the attending docs had and reviewed J's Rx list.