Fundamentals of nursing

• -The administration of medication to clients reguires knowledge and sets skill that are unique to the nurse.
• -The nurse first assesses that the med ordered is the ccorrect med.
• -assesses the client's ability to self administer meds.
• -determine whether a client should recieve a med at a given time.
• -administer the med correctly and monitor the effects of prescribed medications.
• -educate client and familty about proper med administration and monitor.
• -do not delagate any part of the med administration process to assistive personnel.
• -use the nursing process to intergrate medication therapy into care

• Distribution system- system for storing and distributing med vary.
• -Pharmacist provide and nurses distribute meds to clients. There are special med rooms, portable locked carts, computerized med cabinets and individual storage units.

Unit dose System- carts contianing a drawer with 24 hour supply of med for each client reduces the number of med errors and saves steps in dispensing of all meds.

Automated medication dispensing system- control the dispensing of all meds including narcotics security code, bio indentification, reduces errors.

• - Pharmacist prepare and distributes prescribed meds. Pharmacist work with nurses, physicians and other health care providers to evalute the efficacy of medications.
• -Pharmacists are responisble for filling prescriptions accuratley and for being sure prescriptions are valid.
• - In a health care setting /agency pharm. rarley has to mix compounds or solutions,except in the case of IV solutions.
• -Dispensing the correct medication in the proper dosage and amount with accurate label is the main task.
• -include information about med side effects, toxicity, interactions and incompatabilites.

• standing order-days elapse/cancel
• PRN order- med as needed
• Single order-for preoperative situations
• STAT order- immediatley and only once.
• Now Order- quickly but not right away, 90min.
• prescriptions -med outside the hospital/in detail.

• Verbal/telephone orders;
• -The nurse who took the order writes the complete order or enters in computer and then reads it back and recieves comfirmation form the prescriber to confirm accuracy.
• -The nurse writes the; Time, Name of prescriber,signs the order and follow agency policy to indicate order was read back, the prescriber countersigns the order at a later time with in 24 hours when the order was taken.

physcicians, Nurse Practitioner, Physician's Assistant prescribe medication.

• -Writing a medication order on a form in clients record, orderbook,legal prescription pad.
• -prescribers must document the diagnosis, condition, or need for use for each med ordered.
• -hospitals are implementing computerized physician order entry to handle med orders to decrease errors.
• -prescriber completes all computerized fields before the order, the med is filled thus avoiding incomplete ir illegible orders.

• 1. The route prescribed for administering a medication depends on the medication's properties and disired effect on the client's physical, mental condition.
• 2. Work with a prescriber in determinig the best route for a client's medication

• 1. Nurse is responsible for evaluating the effects of medication on the client's health status.
• 2. Teaching the clients about their medications and their side effects ensuring adherence with the medicationregimen.
• 3.Evaluating the client's ability to self administer medications.
• 4.In some cases nurses direct teaching and evaluating towards family member who helps with medication administration.