By Michelle Colleran Cook Show Below, is testimony provided by MNA Member Michelle Colleran Cook on behalf of the MNA Congress on Nursing Practice at a hearing before the Joint Committee on Health Care, which concerned the issue of prevention of medication errors in health care settings. My name is Michelle Colleran Cook. I am employed per diem in the Recovery Room of a Boston teaching hospital. I am also an instructor in a LPN School of Nursing and will graduate from Regis College with a Masters Degree in Nursing Administration in May 1999. Recently, there have been national and local incidences of nurse errors in medication administration that have resulted in negative patient outcomes. Nurses, because they administer the drugs directly to patients, are the last links in the safe medication administration chain. Complicating matters is the increased acuity of the patients they serve, and the decrease in the resources available to nurses to ensure safe practice. Because of the climate of health care today, nurses need to become cognizant of their practice’s vulnerability and vigilant about protecting their practice. All nurses have been taught the five rights of medication administration. They were drilled into our conscious in nursing school until they became part of our unconscious behavior as practicing nurses. The right patient, the right drug, the right dose, the right route and the right time form the foundation from which nurses practice safely when administrating medications to our patients in all health care settings. Just as nurses know the five rights of medication administration, they should also know what rights they have when administering medications. These "Six Rights for Nurses Administering Medications" will hopefully guide nurses as they continue to care for patients despite these turbulent times.
What do you need to consider before medication administration?These checks are done before administering the medication to your patient.. The right patient.. The right medication (drug). The right dose.. The right route.. The right time.. The right reason.. The right documentation.. What should be the first thing you do before the administration of a medication to a patient?In every case, a physician must first verify the medication and dosage before authorizing the administration. Additionally, the physician must be physically present in the facility when the medication is administered.
What are the nursing responsibilities when administering medications?Nurses' responsibility for medication administration includes ensuring that the right medication is properly drawn up in the correct dose, and administered at the right time through the right route to the right patient. To limit or reduce the risk of administration errors, many hospitals employ a single-dose system.
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