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driley
homecare pca

i'm looking for info from homecare agencies as to how they are managing pca's at home. are you using lock boxes to lock out med or just locking out the pump? we're currently using curlin pumps and the lock boxes are large and combersome. we do diligence to keep the patients from tampering with the med, but am wondering if just locking out the pump to the highest level is enough.  we screen our patients carefully to determine their appropriatness for home pca, but have always used some type of lock out device for the solution.  any feed back would be greatly appreciated. thanx

deb riley rn crni, infusion supervisor summa's homecare akron ohio

ann zonderman
Ann Zonderman, BSN, JD,

Ann Zonderman, BSN, JD, CRNI, LHRM

All my home infusion experiences we just used the pump lock features.  Unless there is a drug abuse history the patients are usually great about caring for the pump and rx.  On a very rare occasion there is abuse..

suggestions - use of pump with a lock on cassette, have the drug concentration increased to allow for less volume to deliver the necessary dose - thus using less volume and a smaller cassette.  Check with manufacturer for products that may be more suitable for the home setting.   I usually found the patient and family were very responsible. 

Ann Zonderman, BSN, JD, CRNI

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