Safe Medication Administration and Error Reduction Flashcards
Who can legally write prescriptions?
physicians, advanced practice nurses, dentists, and PA
RN Responsibility with Prescriptions
- having knowledge of federal, state, and local laws, and facilities policies that govern prescribing, dispensing and administration of medications
- preparing, administering, developing, and maintaining up to date knowledge base of medications they administer, including uses, MOA, routes of administration, safe dosage range, adverse and side effects, precautions, contraindications, and interactions.
- maintaining acceptable practice and skill competencies
- determining the accuracy of medication prescriptions
- reporting all medication errors
- safeguarding and storing medications
- follow legal mandates when administering controlled substances
- calculating medication doses accurately
- understanding responsibilities of other members of the health care team regarding medications
Medication Category/Class
Medications have a pharmacological actions, therapeutic use, body system target, chemical makeup, and classification for use during pregnancy
Ex: Lisinopril is an ACE inhibitor (pharmacologic action) and an antihypertensive (therapeutic use)
Mechanism of Action
this is how the medication produces their therapeutic effect
Ex: glipizide is an oral hypoglycemic agent that lowers blood glucose levels primarily by stimulating pancreatic Isley cells to reduce insulin.
Therapeutic Effect
this is the expected effect (physiological response) for which the nurse administers a medication to a specific client. One medication can have more than one therapeutic effect.
Ex: one client receives acetaminophen to lower fever, whereas another client receives it to reduce pain.
Side Effects
these are expected and predictable effects that results at therapeutic doses
Ex: morphine for pain relief usually results in constipation
Adverse Effects
theses are the undesirable, inadvertent, unexpected and potentially dangerous response to a medication. Some are immediate, whereas others take weeks or months to develop.
Ex: the antibiotic gentamicin can cause hearing loss
Toxic Effects
medications can have specific risks and manifestations of toxicity. They develop after taking a medication for a lengthy period of time or when toxic amounts build up due to faulty metabolism or excretion
Ex: RN monitor clients taking digoxin, for dysrhythmias, a manifestation of cardio toxicity. Hypokalemia places theses clients at greater risk for digoxin toxicity
Medication Interaction
medications can interact with each other, resulting in beneficial or harmful effects.
Obtain a complete medication history and be knowledgeable of clinically significant interactions.
Be aware that medications can also interact beneficially or harmfully with food and with herbal and dietary supplements.
Precautions/ Contraindications
these are conditions (diseases, age, pregnancy, lactation) that makes it risky or completely unsafe for clients to take specific medications
