St. Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI)

Patient Self-Administration of Medicine

Although patient empowerment is valuable, it is essential that hospitals exercise control over the medications patients take. It is impossible to design an effective plan of care otherwise. However, many patients wish to self-administer medications within the hospital setting. For many patients, self-administration is a reasonable goal at home: it is particularly necessary for chronic conditions like diabetes, where patients must learn to self-administer their medications to remain independent over the course of their lives. There also appears to be a desire amongst patients to take control over their own medications even in a hospital context. In a qualitative study of self-medication: "seven participants had previously experienced self-administration of medications and six were in favour of this practice in the clinical setting. Nine managed their own medications at home, and one self-administered with some assistance from his family. Participants were very concerned about how nurses' heavily regulated routines affected delivery of medications in hospital and disrupted individualized plans of care maintained in the home setting" (Beanland, Riley, & Baker 2004). This discrepancy in attitude (a desire amongst nurses for control and amongst patients for the ability to not lose direction over their care, even when in an institutional context) makes self-administration an important topic for study. These two competing desires must be balanced with compassion and efficacy