Which set of items is considered the five rights of medication administration?

Which set of items is considered the five rights of medication administration?

• A. Right patient, right drug, right dose, right route, right time
• B. Right patient, right time, right cost, right supplier
• C. Right drug, right dosage form, right room number, right nurse
• D. Right patient, right date, right signature, right room

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is safety through verification before giving any medicine. You prevent errors by checking five elements: the patient, the drug, the dose, the route, and the time. Confirm the patient’s identity with two identifiers to ensure you’re treating the right person. Then verify the drug name and strength against the order, and consider allergies and look-alike/sound-alike risks to avoid giving the wrong medication. Check that the dose matches the order and that the units are correct, making any necessary calculations or adjustments for the patient. Make sure the route matches what was ordered and is appropriate for how the patient will receive it, whether orally, by injection, or another method. Finally, administer the medicine at the prescribed time within the designated window, following any scheduled or PRN instructions. These five checks directly address the most common medication errors—giving the wrong drug to the wrong person, the wrong dose, via the wrong route, or at the wrong time. Other choices bring in factors like cost, supplier, or room that don’t safeguard the actual administration steps.

The main idea here is safety through verification before giving any medicine. You prevent errors by checking five elements: the patient, the drug, the dose, the route, and the time. Confirm the patient’s identity with two identifiers to ensure you’re treating the right person. Then verify the drug name and strength against the order, and consider allergies and look-alike/sound-alike risks to avoid giving the wrong medication. Check that the dose matches the order and that the units are correct, making any necessary calculations or adjustments for the patient. Make sure the route matches what was ordered and is appropriate for how the patient will receive it, whether orally, by injection, or another method. Finally, administer the medicine at the prescribed time within the designated window, following any scheduled or PRN instructions. These five checks directly address the most common medication errors—giving the wrong drug to the wrong person, the wrong dose, via the wrong route, or at the wrong time. Other choices bring in factors like cost, supplier, or room that don’t safeguard the actual administration steps.