{"id":17675,"date":"2022-06-21T00:05:47","date_gmt":"2022-06-21T00:05:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.picmonic.com\/pages\/?p=17675"},"modified":"2023-07-12T19:10:37","modified_gmt":"2023-07-12T19:10:37","slug":"6-rights-of-medication-administration-for-nurses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.picmonic.com\/pages\/6-rights-of-medication-administration-for-nurses\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything You Need to Know About the 6 Rights of Medication Administration"},"content":{"rendered":"The 6 rights of medication administration are probably one of the most important guidelines you need to remember as a nurse. While they can be tricky to remember, recalling all six rights will help you administer medication properly and avoid critical errors to keep your nursing patients safe.\n<\/span>\n

6 Rights of Medication Administration for Nursing Students<\/h2>\nThe six “R’s” of medication administration are a systematic approach to providing your patient the life-saving medications they need while maintaining their safety, privacy, and efficacy of the medicine. These six considerations reduce risk to the patient while protecting the nurse and the hospital. In addition, it’s vital the nursing staff perform three additional checks including checking the MAR, checking while drawing up medication, and checking again at the patient’s bedside.<\/span>\n<\/span>\n

Right #1: Patient<\/h3>\nFirst, verify your patient\u2019s identity. Double-checking the patient\u2019s first and last name on their chart, their name and medical record number on their identification band, and even asking a patient to identify themselves is imperative for administering medication.<\/span>\n\nSome facilities have different protocols, but to be safe, implementing these three checks will ensure you\u2019ve got the right patient. Let\u2019s not stop there though. <\/span>\n

Right #2: Medication<\/h3>\nNow that you\u2019ve identified your patient, it\u2019s time to identify if you\u2019ve got the right medication. Moving forward with drug administration without proper verification is extremely dangerous. Even though a pharmacist may process the medication beforehand, you are an additional person present to ensure patient safety.<\/span>\n\nPlease read the medication label carefully and diligently. You need to verify the type of medication, strength, and concentration. If the medication doesn\u2019t look right, be vigilant and talk to the pharmacy at your facility. If you\u2019re preparing the medication yourself, make sure you\u2019re familiar with it. And by absolutely no means administer a medication you\u2019re not familiar with. <\/span>\n

Right #3: Dose<\/h3>\nNext, you\u2019ll need to verify the drug dosage with the patient\u2019s medication administration record (MAR). Medications come in different strengths, and every patient will vary in the kind of dosage they need. An overdose can prove fatal to a patient, which is a medical mistake no one wants to make.<\/span>\n\nYou may have to modify dosing for age, weight, or other variables like blood glucose. Our first step will help you have the patient\u2019s information handy. Although, for the proper, but complex dosages of medications like Insulin, Heparin, and Chemotherapeutic agents, you\u2019ll need a second nurse to sign off.<\/span>\n

Right #4: Time<\/h3>\nDo you remember the time of the patient\u2019s last dosage? If not, you need to check the MAR. Some medications should be administered at the same time every day, and others only need to be taken with or after a meal. Read the medication\u2019s label to see if that\u2019s the case.<\/span>\n\nStill, you should never administer missed or additional doses and always be familiar with the drug\u2019s abbreviations\u2013just in case. <\/span>\n

Right #5: Route<\/h3>\nIt\u2019s your responsibility to properly route your patient\u2019s medications. Drugs can be administered differently, but don\u2019t simply rely on your memory for picking the right path. The different methods of drug delivery can alter their effects, so you\u2019ll want to be very careful. Check the patient\u2019s chart to see how the medication should be administered.<\/span>\n

Right #6: Documentation<\/h3>\nThe first five rights of medication are important but don\u2019t forget the sixth\u2014and possibly most important right. Remember to document everything throughout this process. <\/span>\n\nDocumentation is important for every task you perform as a nurse. You need to record the drug administration and the patient\u2019s reactions after. If the patient\u2019s not responding well or at all to a medication, the effects need to be documented for future reference. <\/span>Your patient could be allergic or even need a different medication altogether. But who knows? That\u2019s what the documentation is there to help you figure out.<\/span>\n

Recall Safe Drug Administration<\/h2>\nDive into medication administration with <\/span>Picmonic<\/span>. Picmonic will turn facts into picture mnemonics for studying and is a great tool for nursing school prep<\/a> to help you master everything you need to know.<\/span>\n\nTwo helpful nursing mnemonic acronyms for drug administration are: <\/span>\n\nPatients Do Drugs Round The Day (PDDRTD)<\/b>\n