Medication administration is a key skill and it is vital that you are able to demonstrate safety in all aspects of the medication administration process in order to avoid harm or death to your patient. The NMC (2004, 2010) reiterates this point, highlighting that the administration of medicines is an important aspect of a nurse’s professional practice. They argue that it is not simply a mechanistic task, but one that requires thought, exercise and professional judgement. Studies suggest that medicine administration is one of the highest risk processes that a nurse will undertake in clinical practice (NPSA 2007b; Elliot and Lui 2010). Medication administration errors are one of the most common errors reported to the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA). Indeed in a 12-month period in 2007, 72,482 medication errors were reported with 100 of these causing either death or severe harm to the patient (NPSA 2009). The frequency of these errors has led to a number of changes in the medication administration process. Alongside these important recommendations, most higher education establishments will want to ensure safety of medicine administration and may test this vital skill using an OSCE to ensure that you are adequately prepared for safe administration of medication in practice. There are a number of important laws and key documents that relate to the administration of medication and it is important that you understand these as they all impact upon your practice when administering medication to a patient. You may also be tested on your knowledge in relation to these areas so it is important that you have read these. Important documents you will need to know include: ● The laws that relate to medication in the UK, ● NMC Standards for Medicines Management (2010) (www.nmc-uk.org), ● Local policies related to hospital/Primary Care Trust (PCT) regulation of medication (refer to local guidance). There are a number of laws that influence the manufacturing, prescription, supply, storage and administration of medication. Whilst you will not need to study the intricacies of these laws you will need to understand the main issues each law covers.
Rhetoric, Evidence and Policymaking: a Case Study of Priority Setting in Primary Care*
