Drug Administration - General Principles for All Medications

• Verify all new or questionable orders on the medication administration record (MAR) against physician orders for completeness.
• Prepare medications in a quite enviroment.
• Wash your hands. Observe universal precautions, as appropriate.
• Collect all necessary equipment, including straws, water, stethoscope, etc.
• Review MAR for each client carefully to ensure safety; note medication, dosage, route, expiration date, and frequency.
• Research drug compatibilities,action, purpose, contraindications, side effects and appropriate routes.
• Find medication for individual client and calculate dosage accurately. Confirm normal range of dose, particularly in pediatrics.
• Check expiration date on medication and look for any changes that may indicate decomposition (color, odor, clarity)
• Compare label three times with the midication to decrease risk of error when removing package from drawer, before preparing medication and after preparing medication.
• Check need for PRN medications
• Be sure medications are identified for each client.
• Check for any allergies and perform all special assessment before administration
• Confim client's identity by checking at least two of three possible mechanisms for identification to ensure safety - ask client his/her name, check client's identity band, check bed tag (this is least reliable method)
• Provide privacy if needed (injection, NG feeding, enema, etc)
• Inform client of medication, any procedure, technique, purpose and client teaching as applicable.
• Stay with client until medication is gone, do not leave medication at bedside.
• Assist client as needed, and leave in position of comfort.
• Give medication within 30 minutes of prescribe time.
• Chart administration immediately in ink.
• Report any errors immediately and complete appropriate institutional documentation
• Liquid medications - all routes of administration - must not be mixed together unless compatibility is verified
• Observe for any reactions and document both positive and negative responses
• Observe the 6 rights - give the right dose of the right drug to the right client at the right time by the right route and last to document it at the right column.
• To ensure safety do not give a medication that someone else prepared. Institution policies may require having a colleague double check medications such as insulin and heparin. If you are unsure in anyway, have a colleague verify.
• Is using a computer comtrolled dispensing system, follow agency policy for administration and documentation.

Note: Hope this little info can help all of you to remember the 6 RIGHT whenever you are going to serve medications... Always ask...!!!!