c) Not expelling remaining amounts of controlled drugs in syringes and placing the unexpelled prod-
uct in the syringe in the sharps container.
d) all of the above
A The obvious d)
21. True or false? High-alert drugs are those that
administered in error have the potential to result
in severe and catastrophic outcomes.
a) true b) false
A True. Check with another staff member before administration.
22. Is it okay to "stretch" prefilled syringes by
withdrawing portions of contents?
a) yes b) no
A No. It's not advisable to withdraw medications from prefilled
syringes. It's understandable that you want to prevent drug waste, but
using cartridges as multidose vials is a risky practice. These products
are not intended to be multiple dose vials. What's more, transferring
medications from one syringe to another is a risky process that could
cascade into errors, possible needlesticks and contamination.
OSM
6 4 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • M A Y 2 0 1 6
Mr. Sones (shelsones@aol.com) is a pharmacy and safe medication consultant
to surgical centers, and a member of the Outpatient Surgery Magazine editorial
board.
