Tips For Safer Medicines Management

Medicine management is a very important part of our role; it requires thought and the exercise of professional safety.

Medication errors can lead to a fatal outcome for patients; this may be avoided by considering these medicine tips below.

Nurses are often involved in the medication administration phase, although they provide a vital function in detecting and preventing errors that occur in the prescribing, transcribing, and dispensing stages. We hope that by adhering to these safety tips, it will help to prevent the incidence of drug errors.

1. Ensure the prescription is legible, signed for & dated
2. Make sure the medication has a start date & end date if appropriate
3. Check that you have the right patient, drug, dose, route, & time; confirm when the last dose was given
4. Right assessment, baseline observation if required, does the patient need the medication
5. Check that the patient can take or receive the medication via the ordered route
6. Right patient education; ensure the patient understands what the medication is for.
7. Right documentation: ensure you sign and date the drug chart after the medication has been given.
8. Remember that patients have a right to refuse their medication, if they have the capacity to do so.
9. Recognise and react to adverse response to medication & notify the Doctor promptly.
10. Ensure the medication are reviewed regularly for example: antibiotics
Please exercise caution & professional accountability when administering medicines.