The 7 Essential Medication Administration Rights

Medication administration is an essential aspect of patient care. It involves the safe and accurate delivery of prescribed medication to patients. To ensure the safe delivery of medication and prevent medication errors, there are seven essential medication administration rights that healthcare professionals must follow. These rights are important to ensure patient safety and well-being, avoid errors and reduce the risk of adverse effects.

Right Patient

The first and foremost essential right is the right patient. It is important to ensure that the medication is intended for the correct patient. This may involve confirming the patient’s identity or verifying the patient’s name and medical record number. This also involves verifying if the patient has any allergies, drug sensitivity, or other contraindications that may affect the administration of the medication.

How to verify the right patient

To verify the right patient, healthcare personnel can ask the patient to state their name, check their identification wristband, or ask for other identification documents, such as a driver’s license, social security card, or state ID.

  • Ask the patient to state their name and date of birth.
  • Check the identification wristband.
  • Verify the patient’s identification by checking their driver’s license, social security card, or state ID.

Right Medication

The second essential right is the right medication. This involves ensuring that the medication being administered is the right medication prescribed by the healthcare provider. It is important to check the medication label, compare it with the medication order, and assure that the medication is accurate in terms of the name, dosage, strength, and formulation.

How to verify the right medication

Healthcare personnel can verify the right medication by comparing the medication label with the medication order to ensure the correct medication, dose, and route are prescribed.

  • Compare the medication label with the medication order.
  • Ensure the medication name and dosage are correct.
  • Verify that the medication is accurate in terms of strength and formulation.

Right Dose

The third essential right is the right dose. This involves ensuring that the medication dose is accurate and consistent with the medication order. It is important to calculate the medication dose precisely based on the patient’s weight, age, and other factors that may affect the patient’s metabolism and response to the medication.

How to verify the right dose

Healthcare personnel can verify the right dose by calculating the medication dose precisely based on the patient’s weight, age, and other factors that may affect the patient’s response to the medication.

  • Calculate the medication dose precisely based on the patient’s weight, age, and medical conditions.
  • Compare the medication dose with the medication order.

Right Route

The fourth essential right is the right route. This involves ensuring that the medication is administered through the correct route (oral, topical, inhalational, or injectable) as prescribed by healthcare providers.

How to verify the right route

Healthcare personnel can verify the right route by checking the medication order and ensuring that the medication is administered through the correct route.

  • Check the medication order and ensure that the medication is administered through the correct route.

Right Time

The fifth essential right is the right time. This involves ensuring that the medication is administered at the correct time as prescribed by healthcare providers.

How to verify the right time

Healthcare personnel can verify the right time by checking the medication order and ensuring that the medication is administered at the correct time.

  • Check the medication order and ensure that the medication is administered at the correct time.

Right Documentation

The sixth essential right is the right documentation. This involves ensuring that the medication administration is accurately documented in the patient’s medical record, including the medication name, dose, route, time, and adverse effects, if any.

How to verify the right documentation

Healthcare personnel can verify the right documentation by ensuring that the medication administration is accurately documented in the patient’s medical record.

  • Accurately document the medication administration in the patient’s medical record.

Right Response

The seventh and final essential right is the right response. This involves monitoring the patient’s response to the medication and taking appropriate follow-up actions if adverse effects occur.

How to verify the right response

Healthcare personnel can verify the right response by monitoring the patient’s response to the medication and taking appropriate follow-up actions if adverse effects occur.

  • Monitor the patient’s response to the medication.
  • Take appropriate follow-up actions if adverse effects occur.

Conclusion

Administration of medication is a crucial aspect of patient care, and it must be performed carefully and accurately. Using the seven essential rights of medication administration can help ensure the safety and well-being of patients while avoiding medication errors. It is important for healthcare professionals to understand these rights and follow them closely while administering medication to patients.

Common Questions and Answers

  • What are the 7 rights for medication administration?
  • The 7 essential rights for medication administration are the right patient, right medication, right dose, right route, right time, right documentation, and right response.

  • Why are the 7 rights of medication administration important?
  • The 7 rights of medication administration are important to ensure patient safety and well-being, avoid errors, and reduce the risk of adverse effects.

  • What are the consequences of not following the 7 rights of medication administration?
  • The consequences of not following the 7 rights of medication administration can include medication errors, adverse effects, treatment delays, and potential harm to the patient.

  • What should be done if a medication error occurs?
  • If a medication error occurs, it should be reported immediately to the healthcare provider, and appropriate corrective measures should be taken to manage the error and prevent harm to the patient.

References

  1. Joint Commission. National Patient Safety Goals Effective January 1, 2020.
  2. Institute for Safe Medication Practices. (2018). ISMP Medication Safety Alert! Acute Care edition.
  3. National Council of State Boards of Nursing. (2018). NCSBN Guidelines for Medication Administration.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *