Medication Review: Common Medicines Administration in Nursing Practice

This assignment provides a comprehensive review of common medications across various medical fields, including analgesics, antibiotics, bronchodilators, medications for diabetes, statins, and medications used in psychiatry (antidepressants, antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, and mood stabilizers). The document covers medication administration principles, including the mode of action, therapeutic dose ranges, side effects, contraindications, storage, and compatibility. It emphasizes the importance of nurses' knowledge and competencies, such as checking prescriptions, ensuring the right medication and dose, minimizing infection risks, and adhering to medication management policies. The review also addresses controlled drug management, medication error management, communication skills, adverse effects monitoring, and the requirements of rapid tranquilization procedures. Furthermore, the assignment includes a section on the standards and requirements for prescribing, ordering, dispensing, storing, transporting, and administering medications, along with pharmacy services and the destruction of controlled drugs, as per the NMC standards. This comprehensive overview equips nurses with the necessary knowledge for safe and effective medication management.

Medication

Common Medicines administered in any field
Analgesics Response
1) What is an analgesic?
An analgesic is a painkiller or group of drugs
that is being used for relieving from pain
without causing loss of consciousness.
2) What type of analgesics can you
describe?
It may be classified into 2 parts such as:
anti inflammatory and the opioid. Anti-
inflammatory drugs or analgesics
reduces inflammatory responses and
reduce pain. The opioid generally relief
pain and can induce sleep.
3) There are two types of
analgesics. What common side
effects are associated with these
drugs?
Some side effects that anti-inflammatory
analgesic can have: stomach pain and
ulcers, kidney problems, dizziness, allergic
reactions and high blood pressure.
Side effects of opioid are: constipation,
nausea, breathing problems and
drowsiness.
4) Other than pain relief, what can
paracetamol be used for? Paracetamol can be used for treating or
reducing fever, caused by cold and flu.
5) What can you describe or
explain about the WHO pain
ladder?
WHO analgesic ladder states that
treatment of pain among people should

be given with non-opioid medications. If
there is no improvement and reduction
in pain then people should be given
weak opioid. If it is insufficient then
people can begin more powerful opioid
for reducing pain.
Anti-biotics Response
1) What are anti-biotics?
Anti-biotic are medicines that are mainly
being used to stop infection that is
caused by bacteria. It kills germs and
protect body against infectious disease.
2) What would you need to know
before administering anti-biotics
and where should this
information be visible?
Before prescribing anti-biotic to people,
it is important to check allergy status of
patient with carefully. It should only be
taken on advice of doctors. Anti-biotic
section guide is available on medication
site.
3) What are the side effects of
antibiotic therapy? Some side effects of anti-biotic therapy
are: nausea, diarrhea, bloating, loss of
appetite.
4) If a patient is allergic to
penicillin, what are the
alternatives that can be
prescribed?
There are some alternatives that can be
prescribed to penicillin allergic patient
such as: tetracycline, amino glycoside,
quinolones etc.
Bronchodilators Response
1) What are Bronchodilators?
2) What type of Bronchodilators are
you familiar with and when
would they be used
Give some examples and
common side effects?

Diabetes Response
1) What is Diabetes and what types
exist?
2) Can you name the rarer form of
Diabetes?
3) What I hypoglycaemia and what
are the signs and symptoms?
What is the treatment?
4) What is hyperglycaemia and
what are the signs and
symptoms?
What is the treatment?
5) What is Diabetic Ketoacidosis?
What are the signs and
symptoms?
6) What actions should be taken
immediately is Ketones are
observed?
Statins Response
1) What is the function of Statin
medication?
2) Name two commonly used?
3) What are the side effects of
Statins?

Hypertension Response
1) What is Hypertension?
2) What is Hypotension?
3) What medications are used to
treat Hypertension and what are
the common side effects?
Medications commonly seen and administered with in Psychiatry
Anti-Depressants Response
1) Can you name the three anti-
depressant groups

2) What are the main side-effects of
one of the three groups
3) What contra indications are
associated with anti-depressants?
4) What is Serotonin Syndrome?
Anti-Psychotics Response
1) What are the main two groups of anti-
psychotics?
2) What are the main side-effects of one
of the groups
3) What contra indications are
associated with Olanzapine?
4) What is NMS?
Clozapine Response
1) What are the main side effects
associated Clozapine?
2) What contra indications are
associated with Clozapine?
3) Why is it important to dose titrate
Clozapine?

Depot Injections Response
1) What are some of the side effects
associated with depot injections?
2) What cautions are associated with
depots?
Benzodiazepines Response
1) Name three common
benzodiazepines
2) What are the main side effects
associated with benzodiazepines?
3) What contra indications are
associated with benzodiazepines?
Mood Stabilizers Response
1) Name three common mood
stabilizers?
2) What are the main side effects
associated with Lithium?
3) What contraindications are
associated with Lithium?
4) Why is it important to monitor Lithium
blood levels?
5) What is considered to be a toxic

Lithium level?
For all of the medications listed above, it should be expected that nurses are aware of the
mode of action and use, therapeutic dose ranges, storage and compatibility with other
medications and diet. Please engage in this revision gaining confidence to discuss the
principles asked.
Some common competencies expected of RN’s in relation to
Medication Administration and Knowledge
Medications Rounds:
 Checking the prescription sheet properly
 Ensuring the prescription is legible, dated and legal
 Ensuring the right medication and the right dose is administered at the right rime and
to the right patient
 Actions to be taken to minimise the risk of infection during drugs rounds
Your trust or work place(s) Medicines Management Policy:
 Revise this, know where to access it
 Visit the main themes and work to understand all sections of the policy and working
instructions
Storage and ordering requirements:
 The importance of secure storage
 The importance of temperature control
 Stock rotation
 Regular Stock Checks
 Ordering Medication via Pharmacy or a patients GP
Storage and ordering and administration of Controlled Drugs
 CD storage

 CD register requirements
 The importance of a second witness (RN or RMN)
 Stock and balance checks
 The role of the authorised witness
 Awareness of CD policies (local)
Medication error management
 Inform manager
 Inform the patients RMO or member of their medical team
 Inform the patient
 Inform the patients NOK
 Observe the patient
 Maintain and manage the patients safety
 Report as an untoward incident
 Document in patients notes
 Handover information verbally to MDT
Appropriate Communication skills throughout the administration:
 A compassionate approach
 Ability to answer questions in an accessible and prompt manner
 Ability to sign post patients to other sources of information
Ability to recognise and monitor the patient for adverse effects and take appropriate action
 Common adverse effects e.g.EPSE weight gain, how to best advise the patient
 How to respond to anaphylaxis and rapid tranquilisation
 Monitoring requirements for some medications such as Clozapine
 When and how to report adverse effects
Knowledge of the requirements of the Rapid Tranquilisation procedures and policies
commonly utilised:
 Ability to identify alternative options to manage and respond to the situation before
resorting to RT
 Ability to discuss and respond to the importance of physical health assessment prior
to and after RT

 Discuss the importance of care planning to respond to patients who are acutely
distressed/disturbed
 Discuss the importance of specific medications that need to be considered and the
rationale
 Discuss the importance of access to the crash bag, defibrillator, bag valve mask,
ligature cutter, oxygen, suction, airways.
Requirements of the NMC Standards for Medicine Management
 Identify the right patient
 Checking any drug allergy (ies)
 Knowledge of the therapeutic dose of the medication to be administered, its normal
dose, side effects, precautions and contra indications
 Awareness of the patients care plan
 Ensuring medication is clearly written and unambiguous
 Checking of medication expiry date
 Awareness of when to give and with-hold medication
 The method of administration, route and timing
 Contacting the prescriber when further clarification or advice is needed
 Clear and accurate documentation of medication that has been administered, refused
or with held
Some common prompts for revision and standards
Standards Response
Prescribing
1) Who can prescribe medication?
2) What information must be included in
a PX sheet
3) What is the guidance regarding a
verbal prescription?
4) What are the key requirements
related to PRN medication?
Ordering
1) Who has responsibility or ordering
controlled drugs?
2) What specific information is required

when ordering controlled drugs from
the pharmacy?
3) What purposes do controlled drug
registers and requisition books
serve?
Dispensing
1) What is the role of pharmacy services
in relation to dispensing of medication
2) What is the advice regarding
borrowing medications?
3) What actions should nurses take up
on receipt of stock medication?
4) What actions should nurses take up
on receipt of TTO’s?
Storing
1) Where should controlled drugs be
stored?
2) What specific measures are
required for medications that
need to be refrigerated?
3) What action should be taken in
the event of a loss or discrepancy
in stock balance of medication?
4) What arrangement should be in
place regarding the safe keeping
of the medicines cupboard and
drugs trolley?
Transport
1) What are the requirements regarding
transportation of medication from a
pharmacy to a hospital?
Administration of Medication
1) Who can administer medication?
2) What checks should be undertaken
prior to administration of medication?
3) What actions should be taken in the
event t of the patient showing an
adverse reaction to medication?
4) What actions should be undertaken in
the event of a medication error?
Pharmacy
1) What is the role of pharmacy in
relation to the supply of medication?
2) Identify two situations where
pharmacy staff need to be contacted
for advice and guidance?
Destruction of Controlled Drugs
1) What actions should be taken when
controlled drugs are no longer
needed?
2) What is the role of the authorised
witness in relation to the destruction

of controlled drugs?
3) What is the role of the nurse with in
the destruction of controlled drugs
procedure?