Unit 62: Medication Administration Guide Case Study

Safe Medication Practices

Administer Medication to Individuals and Monitor the Effects:

Remember when you are answering the questions to look at the command words and here is what each of these mean within the questions, below is a table with the meanings of some of the operative words you will see in this unit.

1.1 Identify the current legislation, guidelines policies and protocols relevant to the administration of medication?

In the healthcare sector administration of medication plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety and effectiveness of the different legislation, guidelines policies and protocols. In addition, these aspects ensure the proper safety precautions for the patients as well as it also help to avoid medication errors.

• Legislation: There are effective acts such as the “The Medication Act 1968” that provide the essential legal framework to maintain the regulations of medicines in the UK (Ferner and Aronson, 2022). In addition, it also provides crucial licence requirements for medicines in the UK.
• Guidelines: Guidelines such as “The Human Medicines Regulation 2012” provide detailed and effective guidelines for the different processes of the medicines including supply, selling and licensing process (Vaismoradi et al., 2021). Furthermore, in medication administration, it also provides essential support to the labelling, prescription requirements and labelling process as well.
• Policies: “The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)” provides effective policies for the administration of medication to implement appropriate healthcare interventions (Irons et al., 2022). In addition, it also provides effective recommendations for the effective administration process as well.
• Protocols: “The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS)” provides effective protocols and frameworks for hospital services in the UK (Gallagher, 2022). In addition, it also maintains an effective standard for pharmacy practices during the administrative medication process.

2.2 What medication demands the measurement of specific physiological measurements?

The medication demanded for the measurements of physiological measurements is known as Warfarin (Anghel, Farcas and Oprean, 2019). In addition, Warfarin is also known as an anticoagulant medication to mitigate blood clots. Furthermore, Warfarin also plays a crucial role in the monitoring process of the physiological measurements for the patients consuming warfarin including “international normalized ratio (INR)” and “prothrombin time (PT)” (Ayres et al., 2021). As per the measurements of the warfarin during the warfarin therapy an effective monitoring process for the “international normalized ratio (INR)” and “prothrombin time (PT)” is required to prevent the loss of blood clots during bleeding. Furthermore, the regular monitoring process of the “prothrombin time (PT)” and “international normalized ratio (INR)” allows the healthcare staff to adjust the initial dose of Warfarin efficiently while minimizing the risks of bleeding as well (Halbig and Latoschik, 2021). Additionally, the patients with the Warfarin dose are required to proceed with these tests at least once a month.

2.1, 2.3 Describe THREE common types of medication including their effects and potential side effects and describe the common adverse reactions to the medication, how they can be recognised and the appropriate action(s) required

Antibiotics are the common type of medication used to prevent bacterial infection, in addition, they also prevent the growth of the bacteria or eliminate it from the user's body (Galeano et al., 2020). Furthermore, common types of antibiotics mainly include medications such as macrolides, penicillins, fluoroquinolones and cephalosporins. Additionally, each of the antibiotics works for different types of bacteria (Dinan and Dinan, 2022). However, one of the potential side effects of these antibiotics is they can cause a significant amount of vomiting, fungal infection, allergic reaction and diarrhoea within the user’s body (Huizen, 2018).

Analgesics are mainly used to prevent pain as categorised into non-opioid analgesics with the help of medications such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and paracetamol (Paul et al., 2021). Furthermore, non-opioid analgesics block the chemicals that cause pain and inflammation within the body to relieve the pain. However, one of the major side effects of the non-opioid analgesics is they can cause bleeding while using it for a long time (Paul et al., 2021). Furthermore, it can cause a significant amount of liver damage with an overdose of paracetamol.

Antidepressants are another common medication used for the treatment process of patients dealing with mood disorders and depression. In addition, it also helps to prevent mood swings as well as while balancing the chemicals within the body (Saha et al., 2020). Furthermore, serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) and serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the common types of antidepressants. However, the common type of side effects of antidepressants include weight gain and weight loss, as well as it also can cause insomnia and dry mouth with drowsiness (Saha et al., 2020).

The common adverse reactions include effects such as vomiting, nausea, skin rashes, allergic reactions and headache (Jiang et al., 2022). In addition, it also can cause other symptoms such as liver damage, bone marrow suppression and kidney toxicity. The initial recognition process for the adverse reaction includes a monitoring process of the unusual symptoms as well as it also requires a monitoring process for any adverse reaction within the patients during the treatment process (Khalil and Huang, 2020). In order to reduce the significant impact of the adverse reactions healthcare providers can implement supportive care as well as they also can switch to suitable alternative medication as well.

2.4 Explain the different routes of medicine administration

• v Oral – Oral medication is one of the most common medication routes within the UK. In addition, it is used as a form of liquid, pill and capsule medication process.
• v Topical – The topical medication process includes the process of using the medication directly on the skin. In addition, topical medication is mainly used in the form of patches, ointments and creams.
• v Inhalation – The inhalation medication process mainly involves using medication through the respiratory system for patients dealing with respiratory conditions and asthma.
• v Intravenous - The intravenous medication process includes the injecting process of the medicines directly through the skin of the patients through the veins. Additionally, this medication process provides precise drug delivery to the patient's body as well as it also provides rapid drug delivery.
• v Sublingual – The sublingual medication process includes placing the medication under the tongue of the patient for the absorption process of the medication into the bloodstream of the patient.

3.1 Explain the types, purpose and function of materials and equipment needed for the administration of medication via the different routes

For the different routes of administration of medication, there are different processes that can be used including topical administration with the use of ointments, lotions, and creams and patches on the skin. The purpose of this administration is to directly provide a significant amount of effect to the affected area. In addition the administration medication equipment including applicators and adhesive bandages are also required (Dijkstra et al., 2020). On the other hand Oral medication is another type of administrative medication that can be used in different forms including tablets, liquids and capsules. The initial purpose of the following administrative medication is also facilitate the ingestion of the medication through the different gastrointestinal tracts of the patient's body (Ayres et al., 2021). The initial functions of equipment such as pill crushers and oral syringes can be used to effectively implement the medication process.

3.2 Identify the required information from prescriptions/medication administration charts:

The essential pieces of information that need to be collected from the patient's medication administration chart and prescription include information regarding the patient such as the name, date of birth and unique medical record number of the patient. Furthermore, the name of the medication and the initial strength of the medication also need to be collected from the prescription (Hammer et al., 2019). On the other hand, the dosage instructions also need to be collected with the signature and professional registration number of the prescriber. Additionally, the different conditions of the patients such as information regarding the previous adverse drug and the information regarding the allergies of the patients also need to be collected.

4.2 Explain ways to ensure the appropriate timing of medication

The strict maintenance of the prescribed schedule needs to be followed to ensure the proper timing of the medication as well as it is also crucial to follow the specific day and instructions such as before or after a meal also need to follow to ensure the appropriate medication process (Wondmieneh et al., 2020). Furthermore, healthcare professionals play a crucial role in providing sufficient information to patients regarding the appropriate timing of the medication. On the other hand, patients also can be appointed with assistance for the medication process to maintain the timing of the medication. Furthermore, alarms and dose boxes also can be used to maintain the appropriate timing of the medication.

5.3 How would you report any immediate problems with administration of the medication?

It is crucial to identify the immediate problem at first to gain essential information regarding the immediate problem. After the successful identification process of the immediate problem, it is essential to report the problems to the administration of medication to gather efficient support in emergency situations (Tariq and Scherbak, 2023). Furthermore, it is also essential to reach out to a medical professional for essential support such as a nurse or doctor during an emergency situation. In addition, in order to find the appropriate solution to the immediate problems it is crucial to address the proper details regarding the immediate problems to the healthcare professional. Additionally, documenting and keeping record of the details of the immediate problem and the type of medication process is also crucial. In addition, it is also essential to observe the adverse effects and errors within the medication provided by the administration.

5.5 Why is it necessary to confirm that the individual has actually taken the medication and does not pass the medication to others?

It is crucial to ensure the individual has taken the medication as per the instructions and methods prescribed to maintain the health well well-being of the patient. In addition, it also helps the healthcare providers to effectively analyse the overall effectiveness of the medicine to make required changes for the future treatment process (Dijkstra et al., 2020). Additionaly, it is also important for the individuals to take the medications properly to prevent the infection and diseases from spreading as well as to reduce the risks of the diseases significantly. In addition, the confirmation process of proper meditation of the individual also represents the effective and safe medication management process of the medication system as well On the other hand, the proper drug also provides effective knowledge to the cases to follow the given instructions in the tradition to significantly reduce the unauthorized use and distribution of the drugs. Overall, the evidence of the drug process of the individualities is pivotal to insure the safety of the existent's health while promoting the responsible drug operation as well as to insure the effectiveness of the healthcare practices for the case.

5.7 Describe how to dispose of out-of-date and part-used medications in accordance with legal and organisational requirements

In order to maintain the safety of individualities and the safety of the terrain it's pivotal to dispose of out- of- date and used drug corridor duly( Morrison etal., 2020). Likewise, it's also essential to follow the proper legal procedures and association conditions while disposing of out- of- date and used drug corridor. In addition, it's pivotal for the individualities to follow the original guidelines and regulations before the disposal of specifics as per the conditions of the original guidelines. On the other hand, pharmaceutical take- reverse programmes also can be an effective disposal system to effectively dispose of out- of- date and used drug corridor. likewise, while disposing of out- of- date and used drug corridor it's also pivotal to follow the guidelines of the “ Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency( MHRA) ” for a proper disposing process( MHRA, 2019). In addition, the UK Environment Agency enforced guidelines that also need to be followed to alleviate the significant impact of the disposal of out- of- date and used drug corridor on the terrain. Overall, the proper disposal process for out- of- date and used drug corridor prevents its significant impact on the soil and terrain.