South Carolina Code of Regulations › Chapter 61 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL › Subchapter 61-4 - Controlled Substances › Part 1900 - Handling and Administering Controlled Substances in Hospitals › Section 61-4.1900.1905 - Prescriptions Not Required on Floor-Stocked Controlled Substances

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 6, June 28, 2024
(a) Physicians and
				other practitioners who may be authorized according to state law, and who may
				be privileged and credentialed to place orders for patients within the
				hospital, shall enter such orders in the patient's medical record and no
				prescription shall be required. The nursing station floor stock used in
				administering controlled substances in any schedule shall be accounted for in a
				readily retrievable format. The practitioner's order shall be checked against
				the medication administration record (MAR) and the controlled substances
				control sheet or hospital-specific record periodically by pharmacy
				personnel.
(b) Due to finite limits
				of nursing unit controlled substances storage areas, controlled substances that
				are not kept as floor stock will be occasionally ordered. Proper accountability
				for these controlled substances not included in floor stock require that they
				be issued on an individual demand basis with an accompanying sign-out control
				sheet. Any amount of these controlled substances which are not administered to
				or ingested by the patient shall be returned to the pharmacy within 72 hours
				after the medication order is discontinued by the individual practitioner
				treating the patient.
(c)
				Controlled substances secured from or obtained by prescription from retail
				sources outside the hospital are to be stored securely with all other
				controlled substances on the nursing unit. These controlled substances are to
				be monitored as to their administration to the patient by a supplemental
				controlled substances disposition sheet. This sheet should be designated with a
				control number or an identifying mark in order to distinguish it from regular
				hospital stock. If the patient is discharged before all of these controlled
				substances are administered, the amount sent home with the patient (if any)
				shall be noted on the disposition sheet and signed and dated by a registered
				nurse involved in the discharge process, who shall cause the sheet to be
				transmitted to the hospital pharmacy. In the event there are controlled
				substances obtained from outside sources which are not to be sent home with the
				patient, or if the patient expires and there are unutilized controlled
				substances from these sources, the balance of the medication shall be noted on
				the sheet by the Registered Nurse, and the sheet and the medication shall be
				returned to the hospital pharmacy for disposition.
(d) All non-electronic orders shall be
				manually signed by the practitioner.
(e) All controlled substances within a
				hospital that are not located within the hospital pharmacy shall be accompanied
				by either an electronic documentation, a disposition sheet, or a sign-out sheet
				upon which to record the administration of the substance, whether the substance
				originated as hospital stock, from a retail source outside the hospital, or was
				brought into the hospital by the patient with the consent of the hospital and
				the patient's practitioner.