06 Medication Administration and Safety Free Online FlashCards

What are the five common core rights of medication administration?

A common core is the right patient, medication, dose, route, and time. These rights support clinical judgment but do not replace required procedures.

What should you do with an unclear or questionable medication order?

Do not guess. Clarify an incomplete, illegible, conflicting, or clinically questionable order with the prescriber or pharmacist before giving the medication.

How should you verify a patient's identity before medication administration?

Use at least two approved patient identifiers. A room number is not an acceptable identifier.

What patient information should be reviewed before giving a medication?

Review allergies, current condition, relevant history, and medication profile. Check required assessments or results, such as blood pressure before an antihypertensive when indicated.

What formula calculates the amount to administer?

Amount to administer = $\frac{\text{desired dose}}{\text{dose on hand}}\times\text{quantity on hand}$. Match the dose units before calculating.

What are the gram-to-milligram and milligram-to-microgram conversions?

$1\text{ g}=1{,}000\text{ mg}$, and $1\text{ mg}=1{,}000\text{ mcg}$. Convert units before calculating when the order and supply use different units.

What must be checked when calculating a weight-based medication dose?

Use the current measured weight in the required units, confirm whether the order is per dose or per day, and check the result against the prescribed range using an approved reference.

What is the rate for infusing $1{,}000\text{ mL}$ over $8$ hours?

$1{,}000\text{ mL}\div 8\text{ hours}=125\text{ mL/hour}$.

What are key safety checks for oral medications?

Check swallowing ability and aspiration risk. Do not crush or split tablets unless the product and order permit it; modified-release and enteric-coated products need special caution.

What safety steps apply when replacing a transdermal patch?

Remove the old patch, inspect the skin, rotate application sites, and record the new patch's time and location. Do not cut a patch unless product information specifically allows it.

What syringe and needle practice is required for injections?

Use a new sterile needle and syringe for every patient and every entry. Never reuse a syringe, even if the needle is changed.

How should an independent double check for a high-alert medication be performed?

Use safeguards required by policy. When an independent double check is specified, each checker should perform the check independently rather than simply confirm another person's calculation.