Distributing Drugs

At noon everyday, an eighth grader, is in the nurse’s office to take his midday dose of Ritilin, but when the clerk at the clinic isn’t watching he’ll often just pull a fast one.

“I do that a bunch of times, sometimes I walk in ... drink some water and then leave. I don’t really take it,” he said.

With a distracted secretary running the medication line, some kids even end up popping the wrong pills.

“Cause sometimes if you, like, pick up the bottle you don ‘t normally look at it. You just open it and take it,” said another eighth grader.

Many experts say that, in order to save money, some schools are tacking on the duty of administering drugs to their secretaries already hectic “to do” list. If the secretary is distracted by ringing phones, interruptions, and kids running wild, it can cause serious trouble.

“Imagine a child getting an antibiotic by accident, because they’re not paying attention. [If it’s] another child’s medicine….that can lead to a deadly reaction,” said Dr. Sharon Curtis.

Too few parents know who is administering the medicine and what the guidelines are in the school medicine cabinet.

What Parents Should Know

Experts advise that parents find out who is in charge of administering the medication and how the records are kept. While a trained school nurse is the ideal answer, it may not be feasible for every school to hire a nurse to administer medication. They can implement a structured system that will will minimize the possibility of errors.

Children should be admitted into the clerk’s office one at a time, experts say. With only one child in the room at a time, a clerk will be less likely to make a mistake, he or she will be able to watch the child take the medication, and children will not be able to trade medications.

A strict paper trail detailing the name of the medication and the exact time it was taken should be kept. The child, as well as the clerk, should sign a form stating that the specified medication was indeed taken.

Many doctors, concerned about who is administering their patients’ medications, are looking for other answers. If it is possible, they will prescribe medication that only has to be taken once a day, and at a time other than during school hours.