hospitalhealth.

com

Demonstrating the correct methods and best practice for

safe medication administration.
MODULE 3.1
LEARNING
OUTCOMES
Demonstrate the correct methods
and best practice for safe medication
administration.

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 Medication error as “any
preventable event that may
cause or lead to inappropriate
medication use or patient harm nursingart.com

while the medication is in the

control of the health care
professional, patient, or
consumer”.

Such events may be related to professional practice, health care

products, procedures, and systems, including prescribing, order
communication, administration, education, and monitoring.

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 M E D I C AT I O N
A D M I N I S T R AT I O N P R O C E S S
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STAGE 1. ORDERING AND
PRESCRIBING

• Prescriber’s orders are

incomplete or illegible.
• Contraindicated drugs (such as
drugs to which the patient is
allergic) are prescribed.
• The prescriber specifies the
wrong drug, dose, route, or
frequency.
• Drugs are prescribed using
inappropriate or inadequate
verbal orders.

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STAGE 2. TRANSCRIBING
AND VERIFYING
• An incorrect drug, dose, route, time, or frequency is transcribed into the
medication administration record (MAR) by the pharmacist or nurse.
• Drug verification and documentation in the MAR by the pharmacist or
nurse are inadequate.

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MEDICATION TICKETS

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8
STAGE 3. DISPENSING
AND DELIVERY

• The prescribed drug is filled incorrectly.

• Failure to deliver the right drug to the right
place for the right patient occurs.

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STAGE 4. ADMINISTERING
• The wrong drug is given to the wrong patient.
• The wrong dose is calculated and given or infused.
• The right drug is incorrectly prepared (such as crushing a drug that
shouldn’t be crushed).
• The correct drug is administered by the wrong route (such as an oral
drug that is injected IV).
• The correct drug is given at the wrong time or frequency.

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STAGE 5: MONITORING AND
REPORTING
• Monitoring of the patient before and after medication administration is
inadequate. • Documentation and reporting of the patient’s condition
before and after medication administration are inadequate. • Hand-off
communication between licensed professionals is inadequate. •
Reporting of medication errors is inadequate.

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THE EIGHT “RIGHTS” OF MEDICATION
ADMINISTRATION

1. The right drug

2. The right patient
3. The right dose
4. The right time
5. The right route
6. The right reason
7. The right response
8. The right documentation

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 nursealliance.org

1. THE RIGHT
DRUG
Check the drug label and verify that the drug and form
t o b e g i v e n i s t h e d r u g t h a t w a s p re s c r i b e d .
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2 . T H E R I G H T P AT I E N T

Encourage the use of at least two identifiers (e.g. name and date of birth) to
verify a patient’s identity upon admission or transfer to another hospital or other
care setting and prior to the administration of care.

Neither of these identifiers should be the patient’s room number

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https://www.who.int/patientsafety/solutions/patientsafety/PS-Solution2.pdf
 3. THE RIGHT DOSE
Verify that the dose and form to be given are appropriate for the patient,
and check the drug label with the prescriber’s order

nurselk.com

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4. THE RIGHT
TIME
Ensure that the drug is
administered at the correct
t ime a n d f req u en cy.

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5. THE RIGHT ROUTE

Verify that the route by which the drug is to be

given is specified by the prescriber and is
appropriate for the patient.

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brainkart.com
6. THE RIGHT
REASON
Verify that the drug
prescribed is
appropriate to treat the
patient’s condition.

iconfinder.com

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 7. THE RIGHT
RESPONSE
medgadget.com

Monitor the patient’s response to

the drug administered.

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8. THE RIGHT
DOCUMENTATION
Completely and accurately
document in the patient’s
medical record the drug
administered, the monitoring
of the patient, including his
response, and other nursing
interventions.

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 thenursingjournal.com

9. THE RIGHT
APPROACH
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10. THE RIGHT EDUCATION
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ELEMENTS CONTRIBUTING TO
SAFER DRUG ADMINISTRATION
Communication improvements
Education improvements

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25
REPORTING
MEDICATION
ERRORS

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REFERENCE:
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. (2013). Nursing pharmacology made
incredibly easy!. 3rd edition. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott
Williams & Wilkins Health.

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