3 Medication Safety and Error Prevention Free Online FlashCards

What are the five core medication-administration rights?

Confirm the intended patient, medication, dose, route, and time. These core rights are useful checks, but do not replace clinical judgment or a safe system.

How should a patient be identified before medication administration?

Use at least two person-specific identifiers and match them to the medication order and administration record. A room or bed number is not a unique identifier.

What should you do when allergy information is unclear?

Check the allergy record and ask the patient or caregiver about known allergies and important reactions. Clarify missing, conflicting, or potentially serious information before proceeding.

What is medication reconciliation?

Medication reconciliation compares what a patient is actually taking—or should be taking—with newly ordered medications, resolves discrepancies, and communicates the updated list.

What information belongs in medication-administration documentation?

Document what was given, including dose, route, and time, plus any required site, assessment, or follow-up. Record held, omitted, delayed, or refused doses and their reasons as required.

What workflow practices help prevent medication errors?

Prepare and check medications for one patient at a time, reduce avoidable interruptions, and use barcode systems and other safety technology as intended.

What should you do if an order or dose does not make sense?

Pause and clarify the order with the appropriate prescriber or pharmacist before administration. Do not guess or silently adjust an unclear or inconsistent dose.

Does an independent double-check replace the full safety process?

No. A double-check does not replace understanding the order or following the full medication-administration process.

What should you do after a medication error or near miss?

Promptly assess the patient, provide or obtain appropriate care, notify the responsible clinician, and follow organizational reporting and communication procedures. Record the facts accurately.

How should you ask a responsive patient to confirm their identity?

Whenever possible, ask the patient to state their identifiers rather than asking a yes-or-no question. Follow the facility’s approved procedure if the patient cannot respond.

When is medication reconciliation especially important?

It is especially important at admission, transfer, and discharge, and when the treatment regimen changes.

What should a medication history include?

Ask about prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, supplements, and other products such as patches. Verify the history with reliable records or another source when possible.