BC nurse disciplined for giving wrong patient 24 mg of potent opioid

A British Columbia nurse has admitted giving a high dose of a potent opioid to the wrong patient.

Amaris Foster, a licensed practical nurse from Kamloops, gave the patient 24 milligrams of hydromorphone on March 5, 2023.

The British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM), which published a consent agreement concerning the incident, did not explain what happened to the patient.

According to the National Library of Medicine in the US, hydromorphone is prescribed “only when initial treatments have proven ineffective, primarily due to the drug's elevated potency, potential for abuse, and risk of overdose.”

The drug is between five and seven times stronger than morphine, the library said, and alongside morphine is “the most frequently implicated [opioid] in harmful medication incidents.” It added that there have been “a series of accidental fatal overdoses” involving the drug in hospitals and long-term care homes.

Hydromorphone is also prescribed in BC as part of the so-called “safer supply” program for drug users.

BCCNM said Foster has agreed to various limits on her practice as a consequence of her “deficits,” including a prohibition on her being the sole LPN on duty.

She will also be prohibited from working night shifts and overtime, providing regulatory supervision to nursing students or other health professionals and orienting new staff.

She must also complete “education related to medication administration,” BCCNM said.

The agreement will remain in effect for a maximum of nine months, the regulator said.