Correctional Nurse . Net

Lorry Schoenly, PhD, RN, CCHP

8 Medication Rights – Not 5?

My friend, Lisa Morris Bonsall, MSN, RN, CRNP, Clinical Editor for Lippincott’s Nursing Center.com (@NursingCenter on twitter) wrote this for the Lippincott blog “NursingCenter’s Nursing in the Round Blog. Reprinted here with permission.
 

8 rights of medication administration

clock May 27, 2011 00:10 by author Lisa Bonsall, MSN, RN, CRNP

Chances are that some of you may not have known that in addition to the well-known 5 right of medication administration, some experts have added 3 more to the list.When it comes to patient safety, it’s never a bad time to review some of the basics and increase your awareness of newer recommendations. Please add any of your own tips and medication safety advice by leaving a comment. Thanks!

Rights of Medication Administration

1. Right patient

  • Check the name on the order and the patient.
  • Use 2 identifiers.
  • Ask patient to identify himself/herself.
  • When available, use technology (for example, bar-code system).

2. Right medication

  • Check the medication label.
  • Check the order.

3. Right dose

  • Check the order.
  • Confirm appropriateness of the dose using a current drug reference.
  • If necessary, calculate the dose and have another nurse calculate the dose as well.

4. Right route

  • Again, check the order and appropriateness of the route ordered.
  • Confirm that the patient can take or receive the medication by the ordered route.

5. Right time

  • Check the frequency of the ordered medication.
  • Double-check that you are giving the ordered dose at the correct time.
  • Confirm when the last dose was given.

6. Right documentation

  • Document administration AFTER giving the ordered medication.
  • Chart the time, route, and any other specific information as necessary. For example, the site of an injection or any laboratory value or vital sign that needed to be checked before giving the drug.

7. Right reason

  • Confirm the rationale for the ordered medication.  What is the patient’s history? Why is he/she taking this medication?
  • Revisit the reasons for long-term medication use.

8. Right response

  • Make sure that the drug led to the desired effect.  If an antihypertensive was given, has his/her blood pressure improved? Does the patient verbalize improvement in depression while on an antidepressant?
  • Be sure to document your monitoring of the patient  and any other nursing interventions that are applicable.

Reference: Nursing2012 Drug Handbook. (2012). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Which of these 8 rights is the most challenge in your correctional practice? I would say right response. Share your thoughts in the comment section.

Photo Credit: © Denis Pepin – Fotolia.com

June 10, 2011 - Posted by | Nursing Practice | , , , , , , ,

5 Comments »

  1. Hi Lorry ~ Thanks for sharing this with your readers!

    Comment by Lisa Bonsall | June 23, 2011 | Reply

  2. Thanks for posting 8 Medication article, but please explain /help me to effectively explain to the administration (esp nursing) at my workplace that it is an unsafe nursing practice for one nurse assignment to 4-teirs each avg 50 inmates per/ teir some inmates having a large volume of complex medication (medical/psych). I have constantly voiced my concerns, that with the large medication distribution (70% of nurse time) it is unsafe practice for nurses to be severely limited in their complete role to adequately teach, assess, document and evaluate the response of medical treatment.Unfortunately I was meet with the response my primary job is to administer the medication, if I don’t complete my med pass I will get an job performance write up. Unsafe nursing practice.

    Comment by Joan | July 15, 2011 | Reply

  3. [...] 4.  Eight Medication Rights – Not 5? [...]

    Pingback by Top 5 Correctional Nurse Posts of 2011 « Correctional Nurse . Net | December 18, 2011 | Reply


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