26.3.2 Administering OTC medications
Only staff with the [med_administer] setting set to [Yes] will be permitted to administer medications based on the approved medication categories in their personal profile.
Administering OTC medications is carried out on the Daily Medications Board. OTC medications are, in most cases, administered in an ad-hoc manner as required to students.
In some instances OTC medications may be prescribed for a student by a doctor or nurse when treating illness or injury. In these instances the OTC medication needs to be set as a prescribed medication for the student in the student's Medication Profile. Here the details of the medicine, dosage and required time of medicating can be set for the student and the OTC will become a scheduled item in the Daily Medications Board.
Students need OTC permits
You can only dispense OTC medications to a student that is permitted to take that specific medication or medication category (eg: Paracaetamol). OTC permits are created for the student in the student profile by parents in the Parent Permits section of the parent's account. Approved staff can also set student permits for OTC medications.
How to administer an OTC
Administering OTC medications is done from the Daily Medications Board. Click on the Administer OTC button to bring up the medication administering dialogue for OTC medications. Here you will be asked to identify the student, the medication, the dosage and reason for medicating.
When you select a student's name for OTC medicating, REACH will display the most recent medications that the student has taken. Here you can identify if a medication you are about to administer to a student has recently been administered. Medications that have been taken by the student in the last 6 hours are highlighted for quick reference.
OTC medications set to schedule
To schedule OTC medications for a student they should be set as prescribed medications for the student in their Personal Medications Profile. When set as a prescribed medication the OTC will then appear as a scheduled medication in the Daily Medications Board for the student for the days and times of the prescription.