Controlled drug witness requirements

Two-person witnessing at recording time, plus a post-administration confirmation step via email.

Carerealm enforces a two-person witness model on every controlled drug administration where the medication has requires_witness = true. The recording is blocked if no witness is selected.

Recording with a witness

  1. Click the dose on the timeline. The recorder opens.

  2. Pick the outcome. For CDs that need witnessing, the recorder shows a Witness picker.

  3. Pick a second staff member who is present and observed the administration.

  4. Their PIN or sign-in is captured to confirm presence.

  5. Submit.

Post-administration confirmation

After submission, Carerealm emails the witness asking them to confirm (or dispute) the administration. The witness response goes back into the audit trail.

  • Confirmed — the witness verifies the administration. Audit entry closed.

  • Disputed — the witness flags a problem. The recording is reviewed and may be reversed or escalated.

  • Pending — no response yet. The administration counts as in-flight until confirmed; a chase reminder fires after a configured delay.

Heads up — Don't use the witness field to "co-sign" remotely. The witness must be physically present at the moment of administration. A retrospective confirmation by email doesn't make a non-witnessed administration legal — it confirms a real witness was there.

Schedules and the law

Schedule 2 controlled drugs (strong opioids etc.) legally require a witness; Schedules 3-5 are governed by your local policy. Carerealm makes requires_witness a per-medication flag — set it according to your service's policy, not the schedule alone.

Last updated 21 May 2026 · by eMAR migration · Suggest a feature or change to this article
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