TL;DR
Seven Rights of Medication Administration: Right patient, drug, dose, route, time, documentation, and reason.
Seven Rights of Medication Administration
Definition
Right patient, drug, dose, route, time, documentation, and reason.
Safety Considerations
Safety considerations for seven rights of medication administration in the medical office include proper technique and universal precautions.
Subcutaneous injections: angle 45 degrees (or 90 with short needle/obese), sites include Upper arm (posterior), Abdomen (2 inches from umbilicus), Anterior thigh. Maximum volume: 0.5-1.0 mL. Needle: 25-27G, 5/8 inch.
Practical Example
Clinical Procedure: Respirations measurement is relevant to seven rights of medication administration.
Technique: Count without patient awareness (keep fingers on wrist), observe chest rise, count 30 sec x 2 or 60 sec if irregular
Normal values: Normal adult: 12-20/min. Tachypnea over 20, bradypnea under 12.
Related Procedures
Related clinical procedures include phlebotomy. Order of draw for vacuum tubes:
- Blood culture (yellow SPS)
- Green (heparin for chemistry)
- Gold/SST (serum separator)
- Pink (EDTA for blood bank)
- Lavender (EDTA for hematology/CBC)
Preferred venipuncture site: Median cubital vein (first choice).
Documentation
Documentation of seven rights of medication administration in the medical office uses HCPCS Level II: Supplies, equipment, drugs, non-physician services with alphanumeric starting with letter.
Examples: J7050: Normal saline solution infusion; A4253: Blood glucose test strip; E0601: CPAP device.
All documentation must be timely, accurate, legible, and include the provider signature. Late entries must be labeled as such with the date of the original event.
Workplace Applications
Workplace application of seven rights of medication administration requires fluency in medical terminology:
| Prefix | Meaning |
|---|---|
| brady- | slow |
| dys- | difficult/painful |
| poly- | many |
| tachy- | fast |
| Suffix | Meaning |
|---|---|
| -emia | blood condition |
| -penia | deficiency |
| -itis | inflammation |
| -ostomy | surgical opening |
Why It Matters
The seven rights framework tested on MA, Paramedic, and pharmacy exams.
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