5 rights of medication administration

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5 rights of medication administration

So what are the 5 rights?

First, remember that all patients should be treated equally.

All patients are entitled to receive safe and appropriate nursing care. They are entitled to receive care from a competent and knowledgeable nurse.

Patients are entitled to receive competent and safe care including receiving the correct medications.

The five rights of medication administration are:

the right patient
the right drug
the right dose
the right route
the right time

A little research has shown that this list have grown over the years to as many as eight depending on the source. The list now includes:

the right to know information about the drug
the right to refuse the drug
the right documentation

It is important to follow these rules of patient medication administration to keep your patient safe and prevent harm. Nursing medication errors can happen and thinking about these points can help to avoid these errors.

Follow these rules every time you pass out your patient medications to show that you are a knowledgeable and caring nurse. By attempting to avoid medication errors you are putting your patient's safety first and patient safety is a top priority in nursing.

I found a great article on the American Nurses Association website entitled Medication errors: Don't let them happen to you by Pamela Anderson and Terri Townsend. Click on the title to read this great article. Nursing CEU's are available if you complete the post test. It provides 1.6 contact hours for $15-20 depending on whether or not you are a member. Even without the CEU's this is a great article to read, I highly recommend it.

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