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The 10 Rights of Drug Administration

UPDATED ON AUGUST 16, 2023

BY MATT VERA BSN, R.N.

Understanding the 10 Rights of Drug Administration can help prevent many
medication errors. Nurses, who are primarily involved in the administration of
medications, benefit from this simplified memory aid to help guide them to
administer medications safely.

Nurses are responsible for ensuring safe and quality patient care at all times. As
many nursing tasks involve a degree of risk, medication administration arguably
carries the greatest risk. Research on medical administration errors (MAEs)
showed that there is a 60% error rate mainly in the form of wrong time, rate, or
dose. Some medication errors cause permanent disability and for others the
errors are fatal. Follow these 10 rights of drug administration to ensure safe
patient care.
1. Right Drug.

The first right of drug administration is to 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. These look-alike
medication names may also sound alike and can lead to errors associated with
verbal prescriptions. Check out The Joint Commission’s list of look-alike/sound-
alike drugs.

2. Right Patient.

Ask the name of the client and check his/her ID band before giving the
medication. Even if you know that patient’s name, you still need to ask just to
verify.

3. Right Dose.

Check the medication sheet and the doctor’s order before medicating. Be aware
of the difference between an adult and a pediatric dose.

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 would be given and when was the last time it was
given.

6. Right Documentation.

Make sure to write the time and any remarks on the chart correctly.

7. Right History and Assessment.

Secure a copy of the client’s history to drug interactions and allergies.

8. Drug approach and Right to Refuse.

Give the client enough autonomy to refuse the medication after thoroughly
explaining the effects.

9. Right Drug-Drug Interaction and Evaluation.

Review any medications previously given or the diet of the patient that can yield
a bad interaction to the drug to be given. Check also the expiry date of the
medication being given.

10. Right Education and Information.

Provide enough knowledge to the patient of what drug he/she would be taking
and what are the expected therapeutic and side effects.

CategoriesFundamentals of NursingTagsCharting, Reporting, and Documentation

in Nursing, Code of Ethics in Nursing, Medication Safety and Pharmacology

Common Drugs and Their Antidotes

Thoracentesis
Matt Vera BSN, R.N.

Matt Vera, a registered nurse since 2009, leverages his experiences as a former student struggling with
complex nursing topics to help aspiring nurses as a full-time writer and editor for Nurseslabs, simplifying
the learning process, breaking down complicated subjects, and finding innovative ways to assist students
in reaching their full potential as future healthcare providers.

21 thoughts on “The 10 Rights of Drug Administration”

1. Noorahmad
April 8, 2019 at 2:41 PM
Your we is very important and useful
Reply
• Shalom Nabaasa
December 4, 2023 at 5:52 PM
Thanks
Reply
2. swetha
January 5, 2020 at 9:51 PM
is there any other rights of medication administration
Reply
• Ephraim Onuku
September 2, 2022 at 7:39 AM
Very impressive they are now 10
Reply
3. Raghu
February 5, 2020 at 8:10 PM
It’s very useful
Reply
4. Mary Williams
August 8, 2020 at 5:06 AM
Thank you Matt, this really helped me to easily remember so now I do
know why are the reasons for the
10 rights.
Reply
5. Charles Ohia
October 3, 2020 at 8:01 AM
Very educating
Reply
6. Vince
November 11, 2020 at 1:24 PM
Very useful, thank you
Reply
7. Linda
March 17, 2021 at 10:57 PM
does anyone use a pill identifier to make sure you are giving the right
drug?
Reply
8. Euletia Beagle
April 30, 2021 at 2:05 AM
Very informative
Reply
 • Nora Ederington
January 4, 2022 at 5:55 AM
Is the patient right to refuse the treatment they get.
Reply
9. Linda
May 2, 2021 at 4:41 AM
Right to refuse seems more like an overall patient right, all patients always
have to refuse treatment. This right does not seem to equate with the steps
or process as described by the other rights. Note the term right when used
as a right to refuse is a noun; right when used as a verb, describes the
proper or safety in the steps used to administer.
Reply
10. Nora Ederington
January 4, 2022 at 6:00 AM
Everyone have a right to refuse medication if they don’t think it’s for the
best safety cuz they know they own self and we all got our rights according
to the law and regulations thank you
Reply
11. Deva
May 12, 2022 at 11:58 PM
Short and sweet . Very useful
Reply
12. Tariq Mahmood
February 11, 2023 at 12:20 AM
The right to refuse is often commonly not seen as a right by those
administering to patients; and frequently overlooked because ‘it has been
prescribed’ therefore, the patient needs to take it. However, as mentioned
by other commentators; a patient has the right to refuse and his/her/their
decision must be respected unless they do not have the mental capacity
and been assessed and documented as such.
Reply
13. Mpho Miriam Motsepe
June 25, 2023 at 4:01 AM
Every resident or patient has a right to decline medication if need be I have
worked in different nursing homes where some residents refused
 medication from a particular nurse or cater This seems a problem to the
home Medication can be stored safely somewhere and labelled followed
by attempts by another nurse or cater in a persuasive way and explanation
If the resident refuses after that it must be recorded and report written
Manger to be informed No one to be forced to take medication
Reply
14. Daniel Thompson
August 8, 2023 at 9:59 AM
Does the Medication Administration 1 hr rule apply to metformin?
Reply
15. Nediwe
September 9, 2023 at 12:53 AM
Very useful and keeps us up to date. Thank you.
Reply
16. Almarie Van der Spuy
October 26, 2023 at 5:02 AM
Very useful
Reply
• Matt Vera BSN, R.N.
October 27, 2023 at 2:13 PM
Hello Almarie, Awesome, I’m glad you found it useful! If there’s any
other info or topics you’re interested in, feel free to share. Always
here to help!
Reply
17. Boakye Dankwah cassandra
January 5, 2024 at 7:33 PM
Very useful thank you
Reply
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