Rights of drugs administration 

Before administration of any medication or drugs a nurse should follow following rights of drugs administration. 

The basic and very important rights of drugs administration are:-

    1. Right Patient :- 

    • Check patient identification bracelet. 
    • Ask patient to state their name and date of birth. 
    • Compare medication order to identification. 
    • Verify patient allergies with chart of patient.

    2. Right Medication:-

    • Read the physician order for correct name of drug.
    • Always check medication label with physician order.
    • Follow verbal order only in emergency. 
    • Never administere medication prepared by another person. 
    • Never administered medication that is not labelled. 

    3. Right Dose:-

    • Read physician order for medication dose.
    • Compare medication order with prepared dose.
    • Know the abbreviations and symbols used.
    • Consider the age and weight of the patient. 

    4. Right Time:-

    • Read the physician order for time of medication administration. 
    • Know abbreviations, time order in relation to food intake. 

    5. Right Route :-

    • Check physician order. 
    • Confirm that patient can take prescription medication by the ordered route. 
    • Follow aseptic techniques. 
    Mostly above 5 rights of drugs administration (5R) is very important according to university examinations but I want to add some other rights like:-

    Right Education:-

    • Inform the patient purpose or reason of medication administration. 
    • Provide education about desired effects and side effects of drugs. 
    • Answer the question of patient properly. 

    Right Assessment:-

    • Properly assess patient and tests to determine medication action safe or not.
    • If unsafe then immediately call to doctor or notify physician. 

    Right Evaluation:-

    • Assess patient condition for any adverse effect or side effect. 
    • Assess effectiveness of medication. 
    • Compare patient prior status with post medication status. 
    • Document patient response to drug.

    Right Documentation:-

    • Never document before medication administration. 
    • Documentation:-
                                     • medication. 
                                     • Dose.
                                     • Route. 
                                     • Time
                                     • Signature of nurse etc.

    I hope you all like our article on Rights of drugs administration. Please watch this video for better understand rights of drugs administration. 

    Thank you