Question

A nurse at the health care facility is preparing the medication dosage for a client. Why should the nurse read and compare the label on the medication with the MAR at least three times (before, during, and after) while preparing the medication for administration?

Answer 1

Nurses triple check medication with the MAR to ensure the accuracy of medication dosage, prevent harmful outcomes, and maintain high standards of patient care. This mitigates risks associated with dosing errors, incorrect medications, or timing issues, which are crucial for patient safety and therapeutic effectiveness.

Step-by-step explanation:

A nurse should read and compare the label on the medication with the Medication Administration Record (MAR) at least three times - before, during, and after preparing the medication - to ensure accuracy in medication administration. This process is critical because handling medication dosage is a serious responsibility where errors can lead to harmful outcomes or even be fatal. Verifying the medication repeatedly minimizes the risk of administering the incorrect dose, wrong medication, or incorrect timing, all of which can have dire consequences for patient safety.

Triple checking also aids in maintaining high standards of practice, as it is essential to have the correct parameters like dosage and route of administration. This process aligns with principles of pharmacovigilance, ensuring long-term safety and therapeutic effectiveness, and also contributes to quality control measures within the healthcare facility to ensure precision and accuracy of dosages administered to patients.