Safe preparation and administration of oral medication

• Tablets or capsules for oral administration are frequently available in the exact dose that
is prescribed.
• The nurse who is administering the drug is required to calculate the number of tablets or
capsules to give for the ordered dose.
• The desired dose will sometimes be a fraction of a tablet or capsule such as a half.
• Some tablets come with scored markings that allows them to be cut.
• Caution must be taken when advising a patient to cut a tablet.
• Many tablets come in a matrix system that allows for slow and steady release of the
active drug. These drugs cannot be cut, crushed or chewed.
• Always consult a drug reference before cutting a tablet.
• Any tablet that is designated as having a delayed or sustained release may be one that
cannot be cut.
• Capsules may be very difficult to divide precisely and some of them come with warning
that they cannot be cut, crushed or chewed.
• If the only way to administer the correct dose to the patient is by cutting one of these
preparations, a different formulation of the drug, a different drug or a different approach
to treating the patient should be used.
• Other oral drugs come in liquid preparation. Many of the drugs used in paediatrics and
for adults who have difficulty swallowing a tablet are prepared in liquid form.
• Some drugs that do not come in the standard liquid form can be prepared as a liquid by
the pharmacist.
• If the patient is not able to swallow a tablet or a capsule, check for other available forms
or consult with the pharmacist about the possibility of preparing the drug in a liquid as a
suspension or solution.
• The same principle used to determine the number of tablets needed to arrive at a
prescribed dose can be used to determine the volume of liquid that will be required to
administer the prescribed dose.

Prepared by Ianthe Cornwall-Barnes January 2016