Five Rights
What are the "five rights" of medication administration?
Right patient, right medication, right dose, right route, right time
What does PO mean on a medication order?
By mouth (oral)
True or False: Crushing an extended-release tablet is safe
False
A nurse checks a patient's wristband before giving medication. Which "right" is this?
Right patient
Which route delivers medication directly into the bloodstream?
Intravenous (IV)
A nurse misreads "mg" as "mcg". What type of error is this?
Dosage error
Giving a medication orally when it was ordered intramuscularly violates which "right"?
Right route
An injection into the muscle is called what?
Intramuscular (IM)
Giving medication to the wrong patient is an example of violating which safety check?
Patient identification
A nurse gives a medication at 10:00 instead of 8:00. Which "right" was missed?
Right time
Eye drops are administered by which route?
Ophthalmic
A nurse documents a medication before giving it. Why is this unsafe?
It could lead to inaccurate records if the medication isn't actually given
A patient refuses a medication. Which additional "right" should the nurse respect beyond the original five?
Right to refuse
Which route bypasses the digestive system and is absorbed under the tongue?
Sublingual
What is the most common cause of medication errors in healthcare?
Miscommunication (ex. unclear orders, poor handoff report, look-alike/sound-alike drugs)
A nurse is preparing to give a patient their evening medication. The order reads: Morphine 2 mg IV at 20:00. The nurse accidentally selects the wrong patient, gives the medication orally instead of IV, and administers it at 18:00. Which of the "five rights" were violated? What route of administration was incorrectly used?
Right patient, right route, and right time. Medication was given orally (PO) instead of intravenously (IV)