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Administering Oral Medications

Goal: The patient will swallow the medication.

*Indicates a critical behavior that must be performed in order to pass the skill successfully.

1. *Gather equipment. Check each medication order against the original primary care provider’s order

according to agency policy. Clarify any inconsistencies. Check the patient's chart for allergies.

2. *Know the actions, special nursing considerations, safe dose ranges, purpose of administration, and a

adverse effects of the medications to be administered. Consider the appropriateness of the medication for this patient.

3. *Perform hand hygiene.

4. Read the MAR and select the proper medication from the patient's medication drawer or unit stock.

5. *Compare the label with the MAR. Check expiration dates, ensure the packages have not been tampered with, and perform calculations, if necessary.

6. *Prepare the required medications:

Place unit dose-packaged medications in a disposable cup. Do not open package until at the bedside. Keep medications that require special nursing assessments or splitting (only scored tablets), in a separate container. Do not touch tablets with bare hands.

7. Transport MAR, medications, water, and scanner to the patient's bedside. Keep the medications in

sight at all times.

8. Ensure that the patient receives the medications at the correct time.

9. *Perform hand hygiene.

10. *Identify the patient. Ask patient to state their name and date of birth and compare the information stated with that on the wrist band and the MAR. Scan the patient’s arm band.

11. *Ask patient if they have any allergies and check allergy bracelet (if present).

12. *Close the door to the room or pull the bedside curtain.

13. *Raise the head of the bed to high fowlers and ask the patient if he or she has any difficulty swallowing. If not, ask them how many pills they like to take at one time.

14. *Tell the patient the medication and the amount (mg, mEq, unit, etc.) Scan each med as you are checking it against the MAR for the third and final check.

15. *Explain the purpose and action of the medication to the patient. If medication is for pain, assess pain using the 0-10 pain scale “where 0 is no pain and 10 is the worst pain you could imagine.”

16. *Complete necessary assessments (HR, B/P, RR, etc.) before administering medications.

17. *Administer medications: offer water or other permitted fluids with pills, capsules, tablets medications.

18. *Remain with the patient until each medication is swallowed. Never leave medication at the patient's

bedside.

19. *Record the medication administration. Record patient’s pain rating before medication.

20. *Perform hand hygiene. Leave the patient in a comfortable position with the bed in the lowest position, side rails up, call bell within reach and the bed locked.

21. *Check on the patient within 30 minutes, or time appropriate for drug(s), to verify response to medication.

Record patient’s reassessment pain rating if pain meds were administered.

Callahan, B. (Ed.) (2019) Clinical nursing skills: a concept based approach to learning. Boston: Pearson

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