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A Novel Approach for the Administration of Medications and Fluids in Emergency Scenarios and Settings
Published on: November 9, 2016
Delegation of medication administration: an exploratory study.
Geoff Dickens1, Jean Stubbs, Camilla Haw
1St Andrew's Hospital, Northampton. gdickens@standrew.co.uk
Nursing Standard (Royal College of Nursing (Great Britain) : 1987)
|March 13, 2008
Summary
Medication administration delegation in psychiatric wards shows care workers often administer medications, especially to challenging patients. Regular training and nurse accountability are crucial for safe, delegated medication practices.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Practice
- Medication Administration Safety
- Psychiatric Care
Background:
- Delegation of medication administration is common in healthcare settings.
- Understanding the roles of registered nurses (RNs) and care workers in medication administration is vital for patient safety.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the frequency and patterns of medication administration delegation.
- To determine whether medication administration was delegated to care workers or RNs.
- To assess the direct supervision of care workers during medication administration.
Main Methods:
- Observation of 1313 medication administration doses.
- Study conducted on two inpatient psychiatric wards for older people.
Main Results:
- Medication administration was delegated for 80% of observed doses.
- Delegation was primarily to registered nurses (78%), but also to care workers (22%).
- Care workers were more frequently assigned to administer medications to confused and aggressive patients compared to RNs.
Conclusions:
- Care workers involved in delegated medication administration require regular, safety-focused training.
- Registered nurses retain ultimate accountability for all delegated medication administration tasks.
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