MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION

JANET MAKORI, RN BSN AND REBECCA SIMIZEK, RN BSN

SIX RIGHTS OF MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION

• RIGHT PATIENT• RIGHT MEDICATION• RIGHT DOSE• RIGHT TIME• RIGHT ROUTE• RIGHT DOCUMENTATION

RIGHT PATIENT

• VERIFY PATIENTS FIRST AND LAST NAME BY ASKING PATIENT IF PATIENT IS VERBAL.

• VERIFY PATIENT’S DATE OF BIRTH• VERIFY PATIENT’S ACCOUNT NUMBER• OBSERVE PATIENT TAKE THE MEDICATION

RIGHT MEDICATION

• VERIFY MEDICATION WITH MD’S ORDER• CHECK PATIENT’S ALLERGY INFORMATION• VERIFY EXPIRATION DATE OF MEDICATION• ENSURE MEDICATION IS CORRECLY LABELLED

AND IN THE RIGHT CONTAINER

RIGHT DOSE

• VERIFY DOSAGE WITH ORDER• VERIFY DOSAGE RELATED TO PATIENT’S AGE /

WEIGHT IF APPLICABLE• VERIFY DOSAGE WITH LAB VALUES IF

APPLICABLE (FOR EXAMPLE COUMADIN AND PT/INR)

RIGHT TIME

• ADMINISTER WITHIN 30 MINUTES OF PRESCRIBLED TIME (30 MIN BEFORE AND 30 AFTER).

• CONSIDER SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS ( BEFORE MEALS, AFTER MEALS, BEFORE TROUGH, BEFORE SURGERY).

RIGHT ROUTE

MEDICATION ROUTES: ORAL , TOPICAL, INHALERS, INTRAMUSCULAR, INTRAVENOUS, SUBLINGUAL, ENTERAL (VIA PEG TUBES, SUBCUTANEOUS, INTRAOSSEUS, TRANSDERMAL

VERIFY CORRECT ROUTE WITH MD’S ORDERASSESS PATIENT PRIOR TO MEDICATION e.g can

patient swallow pills etc

RIGHT DOCUMENTATION

• RECORD CORRECT MEDICATION ADMNISTRATION TIME AND DOSAGE

• RECORD RIGHT SITE• RECORD PATIENT RESPONSE/ TOLERANCE• DOCUMENT ON RIGHT CHART/ RECORD

The End