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MEDICAL STAFF POLICY
SUBJECT:
Emergency Department Use of Narcotics and Sedatives
Ohio County Hospital (OCH) has adopted a policy relating to the writing of narcotic and sedative medication prescriptions by the Emergency Department physicians. Because OCH is increasingly concerned about the abuse of narcotics in our society, this hospital discourages use of narcotics except when absolutely necessary.
The following policies and practices are for patients seen in the OCH Emergency Department who, after a medical screening exam, are found not to have an emergency medical condition:
Prescriptions for narcotic and sedative medications that have been lost or expired will not be refilled. It is the patient’s responsibility to maintain active prescriptions with his or her primary care physician, specialty physician, or pain control clinic that have regularly prescribed these medications. Patients who have chronic pain will now only receive non-narcotic pain medications as temporary treatment.
Patients who have frequent or multiple visits to the Emergency Department seeking relief from painful conditions will be considered to have chronic pain syndromes. Painful conditions include (but are not limited to) migraine headaches, back pain, pelvic or ovarian pain, dental pain, kidney stones, and fibromyalgia. In these cases, non-narcotic pain medication should be prescribed.
ER Physicians are expected to work with any patient in trying to arrange appropriate follow-up care, but continuation of narcotics through the Emergency Department will not be done.
In the event of an acute problem for which the Emergency Physician feels it is appropriate that a patient be given a narcotic or sedating medication (either by injection or by mouth), the Hospital requires that a driver for that patient be physically present in the patient’s room before administering the medication.
If a narcotic prescription is given for care of an acute painful condition, this prescription will be only for a small number of pills to last until the patient can follow-up with his or her primary doctor or specialist. Any patient returning to the Emergency Department for refills of said prescription will be given a non-narcotic prescription. Follow-up with a primary care physician or specialist for definitive and continued care must be the approach the patient takes.
For any questions regarding the policy, you may call 270-298-7411 ext. 452.
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