Medication Administration
These are the seven rights of medication administration that every nurse must follow.
What are the right medication, right dose, right time, right route, right patient, right technique, and right documentation?
This U.S. agency approves medications for sale and decides whether they are over-the-counter or prescription-only.
What is the FDA (Food and Drug Administration)?
Medication orders can be handwritten, typed, verbal, or sent electronically directly to the pharmacy.
What are the various forms of prescription orders?
The nurse weighs a patient using a metric scale and notes a loss of 10 kg. How much weight has the patient lost in pounds?
22 lb
1 kg = 2.2 pounds; therefore, 10 kg (10 × 2.2) represents a weight loss of 22 pounds
This route includes medications given by mouth, under the tongue, in the cheek, or rectally.
What is enteral administration?
This age group is at increased risk for medication interactions and side effects due to polypharmacy and physiological changes.
What are geriatric patients?
To receive approval, a pharmaceutical company must submit this document to the FDA with scientific testing results.
What is a New Drug Application (NDA)
These orders are used for routine circumstances—like pre‐procedure or diagnostic tests—and remain in effect until canceled.
What are standing medication orders?
While working in the pediatric clinic, the nurse weighs a 5-year-old child as 20.5 kg. The mother asks, “How much is that in pounds?” Provide the child’s weight to the nearest whole pound.
45 lb
2.2 kg in each pound, so 2.2 × 20.5 = 45.1 pounds or 45 pounds
Enteral medications may come in these common solid and liquid forms.
What are tablets, capsules, liquids, troche, suppository, and spray?
Because of their lower weight and higher metabolism, this population typically requires smaller doses of medication.
What are pediatric patients?
What are pediatric patients?
This official, nonproprietary name of a medication can be used by any manufacturer.
What is the generic name?
These orders are written for a limited duration and cannot be refilled unless the prescriber renews them.
What are stop medication orders?
While removing the dinner tray from a client’s room, the nurse notes the client had 1 cup of water, 6 oz of beef broth, 4 oz of gelatin, 120 mL of juice, and a 2-oz popsicle. What would the nurse record for intake in milliliters?
720 mL
Conversions:
30 mL in 1 ounce, 8 ounces in 1 cup
mL consumed:
Water = 8 ounces × 30 mL = 240 mL
Broth = 6 ounces × 30 mL = 180 mL
Gelatin = 4 ounces × 30 mL = 120 mL
Juice = 120 mL
Popsicle = 2 ounces × 30 mL = 60 mL
240 + 180 + 120 + 120 + 60 = 720 mL
This type of medication is placed under the tongue for quick absorption.
What is sublingual medication?
This barrier protects the unborn baby from some medications, but fat-soluble drugs can still pass through it.
What is the blood-placental barrier?
This agency ensures addictive medications are monitored and controlled.
What is the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration)?
Prescriptions must include two kinds of information: administrative details (like prescriber and patient identifiers) and these specifics about the medication itself.
What are the drug’s name, quantity, strength, and form?
While preparing to dispense a dose of liquid medication for a client with a gastrostomy tube, the nurse notes the ordered dose is 2.5 mg and the bottle indicates a dose of 5 mg/15 mL. How many milliliters will the nurse draw into the catheter-tipped syringe when dispensing the medication?
7.5 mL
Number of mL needed = 2.5 divided by 5 × 15 = 7.5 mL
This parenteral medication is placed directly into the eye.
What is an ophthalmic medication?
These agents can cause abnormal fetal development and are most dangerous during the first and third trimesters.
What are teratogens?
Controlled substances are classified into these categories based on their risk for abuse and addiction.
What are drug schedules (Schedule I–V)?
This professional translates the prescriber’s order and the manufacturer’s labeling into the pharmacy label on the patient’s medication package.
Who is the pharmacist?
The physician has ordered a child’s antibiotic dose as 5 mg/kg. The child weighs 14 kg. The antibiotic is provided in a vial with 10 mg/mL. How many milliliters of antibiotic will be dispensed? Round to the nearest whole number.
7 mL
Number of mL needed = 14 × 5 = 70 mg of medication needed
70 divided by 10 = 7 mL needed
This parenteral route delivers medication into the ear canal.
What is the optic route?