ANGELES UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION

COLLEGE OF NURSING

NCM 0106 - PHARMACOLOGY

First Semester, Academic Year 2020 – 2021

Handout Number 3
RIGHTS IN GIVING MEDICATIONS; MEDICATIONS
DO’S AND DON’TS
OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the discussion, the students will be able to:
• Comprehend the rights in medication administration
• Identify the “do’s” in administering medications
• Understand the reason for the “don’ts” in administering medication

I. THE 10 RIGHTS OF MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION

1. Right Assessment
- secure a copy of the client’s history to drug interactions and allergies
- some medication requires specific assessment prior to administration (ex.
respiration rate, pulse rate, blood pressure, and/or laboratory results)

2. Right Patient
- ask the name of the client and check his/her ID band before giving the medication
- even if you know the patient’s name, you still need to ask just to verify

3. Right to Refuse the Medication

- adult clients have the right to refuse any medication
- explain risks to patient’s refusal and reinforce reason for medication
- proper documentation and referral to health care team

4. Right Education
- educate client regarding therapeutic purpose and possible side effects of drug
- any diet restrictions or requirement
- skill of administration
- laboratory monitoring

5. Right Drug
- the patient receives the drug that was prescribed
- check and verify if it’s the right name and form, beware of look-alike and sound-like
medication names (misreading medication names that look similar is a common
mistake, these look-alike medication names may also sound alike and can lead to
errors associated with verbal prescriptions)
Prescriptions: For institutionalized patients (Telephone or verbal order)
Drug Order- prescribed by a physician, veterinarian, or licensed health care
provider.

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Components of a DRUG ORDER:
1) Date and time the order is written
2) Drug name (generic preferred)
3) Drug dosage
4) Route of Administration
5) Frequency and duration of administration
6) Any special instructions for withholding or adjusting dosage based on
effectiveness or laboratory results
e.g.: May start antibiotic regimen after Culture and Sensitivity (C&S).
7) Physician or provider’s signature or name if TO/VO
8) Signature of licensed practitioner taking TO/VO

TO AVOID ERRORS, drug label should be read THREE TIMES

1. At the time of contact with the drug bottle or container.
2. Before pouring the drug.
3. After pouring the drug.

Health care providers should be aware that certain drug names sound alike and are
spelled similarly
Examples: Digoxin- Digitoxin
Quinidine- Quinine
Keflex- Kantrex
Demerol- Dicumarol

6. Right Dose and Dosage

- Check the medication sheet and the doctor’s order before medicating. Be aware of
the difference of an adult and a pediatric dose
- The dose ordered is appropriate for the client
- Give special attention if the calculation indicates multiple pills/tablets or a large
quantity of a liquid medication; this can be a cue that the math calculation may be
incorrect: double check calculations that appear questionable

7. Right Route
- give the medication by the ordered route
- enteral (oral), parenteral (Injectable), other routes

8. Right Time (frequency)

- time at which the drug should be administered
- check the order for when it would be given and when was the last time it was given

9. Right Evaluation
- patient’s response to the medication
- conduct appropriate follow-up ( was the desired effect achieved or not? Did the
client experience any side effect or adverse reaction?)

10. Right Documentation

- include the name of drug, dosage, route, date and time, nurse’s signature and
patient’s response

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 Medication DO’s Medication DON’T

1. Do find time to know more about the drug your
patient is receiving
2. Do check the written order for completeness
and accuracy
3. Do give medications at designated times
4. Do keep the medication card with you as you
are preparing the patients medication
5. Do observe sterile technique in the preparation
and administration of parenteral medications
6. Do ask another nurse or your superior to check
your computation before you prepare the drug
7. Do be sure your equipment is in good working
condition
8. Do shake the bottle containing liquid
medication (especially if it is a suspension)
9. Do ask the patient’s name. Do not rely on his
room and bed number
10. Do stay with the patient until he has taken his
medication. Do not leave the medication on 10. Don’t leave medications by the bedside or with
the table when he says “I’ll just take it later”
11. Do observe the patient for any reactions of the 11.
drug he has received
12.
12. Do record (and report) patient refusal to take
his medications
13.
13. Do chart a medication only after you have
administered it
14.
15. Don’t recap needles. Observe the universal
16. Don’t prepare the medications way ahead of
1. Don’t be distracted when preparing
medications
2. Don’t accept verbal orders except in
emergencies
3. Don’t administer medications that somebody
else has prepared
4. Do not pour drugs form one container with
labels that are difficult to read or whose labels
are part
5. Don’t transfer drug from one container to
another
6. Don’t push drugs into your hands
7. Don’t guess about drug dosages. Ask when in
doubt; your question may save a patient’s life
8. Don’t give medications for which the expiration
date has passed
9. Don’t use drugs that have sediments, are
discolored or are cloudy
visitors
Don’t leave prepared drugs out of sight
Don’t give drugs if the patient says he/she has
allergies to the drug or drug group
Don’t call the client’s name as the sole means
of identification
Don’t give the drug if the client states that the
drug is different from the drug he/she has been
receiving. Recheck the order and the
medication first
precaution
the time they are to be administered

Prepared by:

Pharmacology Instructors

Noted by:

Jennie C. Junio, RN, MAN

Level 2 Coordinator

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