Equipment
■ Eye drops or ointment.
■ Tissue.
Assessment
■ Assess the eyes for redness, drainage, or other signs of irritation or pain.
■ Determine the patient’s ability to cooperate with the procedure.
■ Assess whether the eyes need to be cleansed before administration of the medication.
■ Be Safe! Check the prescription for where to instill medication. (Note: We do not advise using these abbreviations they have been disallowed by The Joint Commission but you may still see them written in prescriptions: OD = right eye; OS = left eye; OU = both eyes.)
Key Points
■ Use a high-Fowler’s position, with the head slightly tilted back.
■ Work from the inner to outer canthus when cleansing or instilling medication.
■ Apply the medication into the conjunctival sac.
■ Be Safe! Do not apply the medication to the cornea.
■ Be Smart! Do not let the dropper or tube touch the eye.
■ For eye drops, press gently against the same side of the nose for 1 to 2 minutes to close the lacrimal ducts.
■ For eye ointment, ask the patient to gently close the eyes for 2 to 3 minutes.
Documentation
■ Document:
■ Medication, time, dose, and route given.
■ Assessment.
■ Therapeutic and adverse drug effects.
■ Nursing interventions, and teaching.
■ Assessment data before, during, and after instillation.
■ Be Safe! Record scheduled medications on the MAR and PRN medications in the nursing notes. For PRN medications, include reason given and response.
■ Be Smart! When a drug is not administered, document that on the MAR along with the reason, and inform the prescriber.
■ Be Safe! Do not document before giving the drug. Do not document for anyone else or ask them to document for you.
 |
| Instilling ophthalmic drops into the eye |
 |
| Instilling ophthalmic ointment into the eye |
 |
| Press lacrimal ducts to reduce systemic absorption |
0 comments:
Post a Comment