Some drugs are delivered bodywide through a patch on the skin. These drugs are sometimes mixed with a chemical such as alcohol that enhances penetration through the skin into the bloodstream without any injection.
Through a patch, the drug can be delivered slowly and continuously for many hours or days or even longer. As a result, levels of a drug in the blood can be kept relatively constant. Patches are particularly useful for drugs that are quickly eliminated from the body because such drugs, if taken in other forms, would have to be taken frequently.
However, patches may irritate the skin of some people. In addition, patches are limited by how quickly the drug can penetrate the skin. Only drugs to be given in relatively small daily doses can be given through patches. Examples of such drugs include nitroglycerin for chest pain , scopolamine for motion sickness , nicotine for smoking cessation , clonidine for high blood pressure , and fentanyl for pain relief.
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The Manual was first published in as a service to the community. Learn more about our commitment to Global Medical Knowledge. This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here. Common Health Topics. Oral route. Injection routes. Sublingual and buccal routes. Rectal route. Vaginal route. Ocular route. Otic route. Nasal route. Inhalation route. Nebulization route.
Cutaneous route. Transdermal route. Administration and Kinetics of Drugs. Test your knowledge. Which of the following is described as the study of genetic differences in the response to drugs? More Content. Drugs are introduced into the body by several routes. They may be. Taken by mouth orally.
Placed under the tongue sublingually or between the gums and cheek buccally. Placed in the eye by the ocular route or the ear by the otic route. Sprayed into the nose and absorbed through the nasal membranes nasally.
Applied to the skin cutaneously for a local topical or bodywide systemic effect. Delivered through the skin by a patch transdermally for a systemic effect. The Joint Commission has developed a list of the most problematic medications, here.
Misreading medication names that look similar is a common mistake, particularly in hospitals, and particularly when orders are communicated verbally. To reduce the risk of these errors, use strategies such as:. According to the Institute for Safe Medication Practices ISMP , the top five high-alert medications are insulin, opiates and narcotics, injectable potassium chloride or phosphate concentrate, intravenous anticoagulants heparin , and sodium chloride solutions above 0.
Some of the ways ISMP suggests that organizations can reduce the risk of error with "high alert" medications include: standardizing the ordering, storage, preparation, and administration of these mediations, limiting their use, and using automated alerts to heighten awareness when prescribing or administering them.
To err is human: building a safer health system. Medication Management. Cureatr News. Company Culture. We provide real-time, universal access to accurate medication data for over Million patient and high-quality interventions by board certified telepharmacists. Include family members if appropriate. A workaround is a process that bypasses a procedure, policy, or problem in a system.
These workarounds fail to follow agency policy to ensure safe medication practices. Always clarify an order or procedure that is unclear. Always ask for help whenever you are uncertain or unclear about an order. Consult with the pharmacist, charge nurse, or other health care providers and be sure to resolve all questions before proceeding with medication administration.
Use available technology to administer medications. Technology has the potential to help decrease errors. Use technology when administering medications but be aware of technology-induced errors. Report all near misses, errors, and adverse reactions.
Reporting allows for analysis and identification of potential errors, which can lead to improvements and sharing of information for safer patient care. Be alert to error-prone situations and high-alert medications. High-alert medications are those that are most likely to cause significant harm, even when used as intended.
The most common high-alert medications are anticoagulants, narcotics and opiates, insulins, and sedatives. The types of harm most commonly associated with these medications include hypotension, delirium, bleeding, hypoglycemia, bradycardia, and lethargy. If a patient questions or expresses concern about a medication, stop and do not administer it. Disclaimer: Always review and follow your hospital policy regarding this specific skill. Safety considerations: Plan medication administration to avoid disruption: Dispense medication in a quiet area.
Avoid conversation with others. Prepare medications for ONE patient at a time. Check that the medication has not expired. Perform hand hygiene. Check room for additional precautions.
This is most commonly used with a mask or tube, such as an inhaler. Nebulization — A nebulizer is a machine that allows the patient to inhale the drug as a very fine mist. This is similar to inhalation. Transdermal — This is a way to get the drug through the skin into the body without breaking the surface. A patch is placed on the patients skin with the medicine sometimes mixed with a chemical that penetrates into the blood stream.
Injection — The four injection routes include intrathecal into the spine , subcutaneous under the skin , intravenous into a vein and intramuscular into a muscle. The 5 rights of medication administration For safe medication administration, there is training, guidelines, competencies and good practice that we strictly follow at AJ Case Management.
To give you an idea of the safe practices we follow everyday with our patients, here are the 5 rights of medication administration: Right Patient — The patient must identify themselves, so the name can be checked on the order. Two or more identifiers should be provided. Right Medication — The prescription is thoroughly checked by reading the type of medicine it is and the expiry date to make sure this is correct.
Right Dose — The dosage is assessed against the type of medication to confirm it is appropriate. Right Route — Using our own knowledge and the information on the label we assess whether the right route of administration has been recommended.
Right Time — The frequency of the medication is checked so that we can confirm we are giving the patient their medicine at the right time.
Administration of Rescue Medication — Buccal Midazolam, GTN for Autonomic Dysreflexia When we refer to rescue medication, we are talking about medicine that is administered to give immediate relief for the symptoms of the condition. What type of illnesses should rescue medication be used for?
Symptoms caused by this condition could include: Itchiness Swelling Wheezing or trouble breathing Runny or blocked nose Irritated or watery eyes Swelling of the throat There are many more symptoms you may experience which depend on the type of allergy and your level of exposure to the allergen.
Symptoms can include: Wheezing A feeling of tightness in your chest Coughing Breathlessness and difficulty breathing Rescue medication for asthma attacks usually comes in the form of an inhalation drug. What are the different types of PEG tubes? The most common include: PEG and long tubes — These types of tubes are usually used for the initial insertion. What training is required for administration of medication? There are many things we can do to make sure we always put these things first with patients, some of which include: Identify and diligently follow the laws and legislations Understand and follow the rights of medication administration Recognise common medication and what it might be used for Understand and practice efficient record keeping Predetermine errors or dangers and create solutions to avoid them Understand the importance of confidentiality Guidelines we follow to prevent errors in the administration of medication The health and happiness of our patients is at the heart of everything we do at AJ Case Management.
Here are a few of the guidelines we follow to reduce this risk: Reminding ourselves of the 5 rights of medication administration and continuously following them. Providing the correct documentation and organising the information efficiently so it can be easily accessed and clearly understood when needed. Ensuring the correct storage of varying medications, such as keeping them refrigerated and making sure they are in the correct departments.
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