8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 8
I
s it enough to store your propofol in a locked cabinet inside a
locked medication room? Technically, yes. Propofol isn't consid-
ered a controlled substance, but the Drug Enforcement
Administration may soon designate it as a "scheduled" drug. We treat
propofol as we do such sedatives as Demerol, Versed and fentanyl,
counting it 3 times daily. We formally record the count in the morning
and at day's end, and also perform an informal count at noon.
Only 2 nurses have access to the medication room: me and our
infection preventionist. We both count propofol when we arrive in the
morning, recording the count on a handwritten sheet that we store in
a tabbed binder (each drug we count has its own tabbed section). One
of us does an informal mid-day count around noon that doesn't get
recorded and together we do another formal count at day's end.
• MORNING, NOON + NIGHT The Greenwood (S.C.) Endoscopy Center treats propofol as a controlled substance, says Director
of Nursing Laura Young, RN, seen here on the right counting numbered boxes of propofol in the medication room with Jessica
Goodman, RN.
Do You Count Your Propofol?
Greenwood
(S.C.)
Endoscopy
Center
