10 MEDICATION RIGHTS (Potter & Perry, pp. 681)

1. Right Medication
Check and verify if it’s the right name and form. Beware of look-alike and sound-alike medication names. Misreading medication names that look similar is a common mistake. Compare with doctors’ order on MAR.

2. Right Dose
Check the MAR and the doctor’s order. Be aware of the difference of an adult and a pediatric dose. Perform correct med calculations and have another nurse do an independent check if agency requires for specific meds.

3. Right Patient
Compare with MAR and check 2 patient identifiers

4. Right Route
Check the order if it’s oral, IV, SQ, IM, etc..

5. Right Time and Frequency
Check the order for when it should be given and when was the last time it was given.

6. Right Documentation
After you administer a medication, complete the medication administration record according to agency policy to verify that the medication was administered as ordered.

7. Right Reason
Nurses are professionally responsible for obtaining the rationale for prescribed medications. If you are unaware of a new medication, you have the professional responsibility to research the medication

8. Right to Refuse
The patient has the right to refuse a medication. Patients need to be informed that they have this right, but at the same time, they also need to be fully informed about the potential consequences of their refusal.

9. Right Patient Education
Education should include providing information about the drug being given such as the reason for taking it, its action, and possible side effects that the patient might experience while taking it.

10. Right Evaluation
You also need to make sure that any special assessments that are required have been completed, such as taking a pulse or blood pressure or checking important laboratory results that are necessary for a particular medication

THREE MEDICATION CHECKS

First Check Read the MAR or doctors order and select the proper medication from the patient’s drawer or unit stock.
Second Check After retrieving the medication from the drawer Compare the medication label to the MAR again as you prepare the medication (pour liquid, split pills, draw up from a multi-dose container)
Third Check Bring medication to patient’s bedside. Compare your prepared medication for a third time against the MAR while you are at the patient’s bedside, or right outside the room.