Don't give that med until you know its the "right" medication

The second core “right” of medication administration is right medication

What is meant by “right” medication? When doing your second core check, you must compare the name of the medication that is on the pharmacy label to the name of the medication that is on the medication administration record (MAR). You are going to verify the drugs name when you pull the drug, before you pour the drug and before you administer the drug.

There are several elements of the medication that you should identify in this second key right.

• First lets talk about the names of medications and how one medication can have multiple names

A drug will always have one generic name but can have many “trade name”.

The generic name of a medication is assigned by the United States Adopted Names Council. However, any drug company can manufacture that generic drug creating a trade name or brand name is that is specific to their product.

Example:

Acetaminophen is a generic name for Tylenol. Any drug company can manufacture acetaminophen. Tylenol is the trade name for acetaminophen that is manufactured by McNeil Consumer. Regardless of the manufacture – the product information section will list the “generic name” as the actual active ingredient. Many pharmacy labels will list the generic name and the “equivalent” trade name.

* Secondly, you must know what medication is usually given for, what expected dose ranges are, potential side effects of the medication and any precautions that you would need to follow.

The easiest way to find this information is to use your “non-people” resources such as drug reference book, a manufactures website, or product description leaflet. Another reference is your people resources including the pharmacist, consultant nurse, or your supervisor. For more information check out the overview of generic drugs and drug naming in the MERCK Manual.

• Third – be aware of medications that might have similar names and make sure that you have the right drug.

One example, is the pain killer oxycodone (generic name) or Oxycontin (trade name) which is frequently confused with hydrocodone (generic name). Both drugs are very similar in action and are frequently confused because “codone” appears in both drugs name!

Another example are the medications Keflex and Keppra. Keflex is an antibiotic while Keppra treats seizure.

For more examples of medications with similar names check out the list of look-alike-sound-alike drug names created by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices.

Know the different names of a drug, know the expected dose, and be aware of any medications with similar names to help prevent medication errors.