Tablets - AIBU?

[BlueGoddess]

Would you tell hospital staff if one of your relatives wasn't taking their tablets? I found a stash of tablets and we weren't sure what they were so told the nurses just in case they were important.

The fall out has been undesirable to say the least, and I'm questioning if I did the right thing - was I being unreasonable?

You definitely did the right thing.

Unfortunately if a patient is in full control of their faculties, they cannot be forced to take medication if they don't want to.

Only time will help them to come to the conclusion that it is in their best interest to take the medication.

Sometimes, being in hospital can drastically impair the reasoning and personality of a patient. Especially if it is a lengthy stay.

Good luck with this. Just remember that whatever happens, you know that you did what you could to help.

There are concerns in that area Swish, although no 'official' diagnosis.

YANBU not taking medication isn't really on is it and also the storing/stashing of them could have been seen dangerous if they decide to take them (if they are a bit confused) or if somebody else gets them you did the right thing, the nurses cant force somebody to take pills but at least they know the person is refusing and stashing them

Thank you all by the way, different view points has certainly raised things I hadn't thought of

This is a tricky area then. But the risk is, if you have no official capacity, if you do overstep then the person refuses to see you, you have even less chance to influence.

It is awfully hard, but people are entitled to make foolish decisions with their own health!

It is awfully hard, but people are entitled to make foolish decisions with their own health!

yes they are there isn't anything a relative can do however ill a person is if they dont take pills or advice then we can do nothing, My late MIL stashed tablets when she was in hospital which I found in her locker I did tell them and she was furious with me,

I think in would have spoken to the nurse in charge and asked them to sit with the patient and explain what each tablet was and what it is for. I can understand wanting to know what is being taken and why.

The medical staff need to be aware if patients are not taking their medication for a multitude of reasons.

However, my next concern would the fact that the staff had no idea these tablets weren't being taken and that they were being stashed. That is negligent on their part and I'd be taking that further

Yeah it's true that even with reduced capacity s/he can refuse treatment (sat through a law and ethics lecture yesterday so it's fresh on my brain). I've seen a couple of horrible situations where people have refused treatment and I just can't understand it myself.

However, the nurses do need to be aware that the patient is stashing meds in order that their paperwork is correctly filled out. Whatever the medication is, by the patient not taking the medication for say high blood pressure and you relative then goes on to have a heart attack and they check the records and see from they paperwork that they were signing to say that they were taking their meds when in fact they weren't, you have a case to sue the hospital. It also means that all nurses that signed that drug card saying it was given can potentially be struck off.

Whereas, if they know now they are not taking them they have a code to put down for patient refusing meds so should be putting that instead. It covers their own backs too (it's a very accountable thing giving out medication).

It may seem like a simple thing but that is how it is from a nursing perspective. It's a simple thing that has huge consequences on many peoples lives.

In fact you might want to raise it with the ward manager and point it out to them like that as it is a really big deal.

Im still confused as to where you found the tablets though - was it in their own house or the hospital?

Nurses should be watching patients swallow tablets so it shouldnt really happen there. So if it has it needs to be raised.

you can put pills in your mouth and spit them out though I used to with iron tablets when i was in with pregnancy complications I did get caught as I had put 1 in my PJs pocket and it started to melt I had a rusty stain

Sweetest cup - in their clothes in the hospital

Well in that case you should be speaking to a member of staff about it, because there are all sorts of things that could happen, like a fellow patient ingesting them etc. Someone should be making sure they receive them. I'm a Psychiatric Nurse and patients always had to swallow tablets in front of us when I worked on the wards, but yes as mrsjay said people could pretend!

"However, the nurses do need to be aware that the patient is stashing meds in order that their paperwork is correctly filled out."

Sorry, this is absolutely not a reason to go behind the relatives back, it's perhaps a reason to encourage the relative to make a complaint if the policies aren't being followed, but nothing else.

I might have suggested to the nurses that they watch for the pills being swallowed in future as this would have had the desired effect without the relative feeling they had been grassed up.

However this wouldn't deal with the problem of the stash being a danger to others. Perhaps I would have offered to bin those to save embarrassment.

That's interesting FredFred, thank you.