Medical Dosage Calculations: A Dimensional Analysis Approach: Unit 2

Medication Administration Process

The step-by-step system for safely giving medicine to patients, including who may administer drugs, the “six rights” and “three checks,” and how to interpret prescriptions, medication orders, records, labels, and package inserts.

Who May Administer Drugs

Only trained and authorized healthcare professionals (e.g., nurses, doctors, medical assistants) are allowed to give medications to patients.

Six Rights of Medication Administration

Guidelines to ensure safe medication use:

• Right patient
• Right drug
• Right dose
• Right time
• Right route
• Right documentation

Medication Error

Occurs when any one of the six rights is not followed; can cause harm to patients.

Legal and Ethical Responsibility to Report Errors

Anyone administering medication must legally and ethically report any medication errors immediately.

Medication Errors Can Occur At Any Point

Mistakes may happen during prescribing, preparing, or administering medications.

Generic Drug Name

The official, non-brand name of a drug; drugs should be prescribed using this name to avoid confusion.

Interpreting Drug Orders

Requires understanding common abbreviations used in prescriptions and medication instructions.

JCAHO “Official Do Not Use” Abbreviations List

A list of dangerous abbreviations that must never be used to prevent medication errors.

Reading Drug Labels Carefully

Important because:

• Some drugs have look-alike or sound-alike names that can be confused
• Dosage strength and decimal points must be checked carefully to avoid mistakes

Dosage Strength and Decimal Points

Pay special attention to the exact amount of medicine, especially decimal placement (e.g., 1.0 mg vs 0.1 mg).

Administering Medications According to Prescriber’s Directions

Medication must be given in the form and by the route specified by the prescriber.

Form of Drug

The type of medication (pill, patch, inhaler, etc.) affects:

• Speed of onset (how fast it works)
• Intensity of action (how strong the effect is)
• Route of administration (how it is given)

Oral Route (PO)

Most commonly used; medication is swallowed by mouth.

Buccal Medications

Placed inside the cheek and kept there until completely dissolved; not swallowed immediately.

Sublingual Medications

Placed under the tongue and kept there until completely dissolved; not chewed or swallowed right away.

Topical Medications

Applied directly to the skin; can have:

• Local effects (only on the area applied)
• Systemic effects (affect the entire body)

Transdermal Patches

Medication patches applied on the skin designed to deliver medicine systemically through absorption into the bloodstream.

Inhalation Medications

Delivered through breathing in; administered using:

• Nebulizers (convert liquid medicine into mist)
• Dry powder inhalers (DPI)
• Metered dose inhalers (MDI)