

This includes assessing whether the medication is appropriate by considering the patient and the environment. Nurses must ensure their medication practice is informed by evidence and that they follow the accountabilities in the Medication practice standard. If legislation and employer policy permits nurses’ recommending and administering OTCs, nurses must then ensure that they have the knowledge, skill and judgment to do so safely and ethically. Nurses are accountable to comply with organizational policy and, if needed, work with their employers to develop policies that align with CNO’s standards of practice and are in the interest of patient safety. Organizational policyĮmployers determine the scope and responsibilities of their employees, including whether nurses can recommend and administer OTCs to patients.
#Over the counter medicine code
This accountability is outlined in principle 3.9 of the Code of Conduct. Nurses are accountable for being familiar with and practicing under relevant legislation that applies to their practice setting. NSAIDs are both available as OTC and prescription products that are commonly used for reducing pain, inflammation, fever, and clotting Examples include. For example, the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021 requires medication must be ordered by an authorized prescriber. Whether you should recommend or administer OTCs depends on the following factors: Applicable legislationĪlthough OTCs usually do not require a prescription, some legislation requires an order. If you decide to recommend an OTC medication, you are accountable for the recommendation and for any outcomes of that recommendation.

However, in some practice settings, legislation or organizational policy might require an order. Over-the-counter (OTC) medications do not require a prescription and nurses may recommend or administer them to a patient. Recommending over-the-counter medications As a nurse, can I recommend over-the-counter medications?
