Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Via a USB Connection, the data (who, when, etc...) is downloaded (once a month and when necessary) onto a laptop and compared to the written log kept inside in the Medvault.

The vault is well constructed and opens smoothly.

Morphine and midazolam are kept in zipper pouches with numbered locking tabs.  These zipper pouches (on a reserve unit) will be replaced with new ones soon (the RA number and medication will be written on the back as to not partially obscure the contents.).  The carabiner is used to keep the pouch secured to the medic when these drugs are taken out of the vault and onto a call.  Their policies now require that only medics handle narcotics and when out of the vault, they must be kept on their person.  

15 tubes of MS @ 4mg per carpuject.  They do a 1 for 1 swap out of narcotics with their local hospital pharmacy.

The Fire Slide!  Looks safer than the traditional pole.

Each MedVault has this form inside for daily inventory check list.  Click on image to download file.

On the back side of the daily check out form is the Narcotics Given, Wasted and Resupply Form.  Click on image to download file.

The above is their current Policy (as of 2/16/11) for “Procurement and Storage of Pharmaceuticals”.  One observation I’d like to share about Alhambra FD’s Narcotic Control and Accountability System is that Management is well protected in case Diversion or Tampering is detected.  This is because Management has no need for access to the drugs.  They do not need to store drugs in the station, since they do 1 for 1 swap out with their local hospital pharmacy.  The MedVault’s also keeps a record of who enters them.  Thus, Management and non paramedics are well insulated from accusation and temptation.

Thank you to Alhambra Fire for sharing this with the community.   Click on image to download file.