What is a nurse's responsibility for ensuring the right patient is receiving the right medication?

The selected answer emphasizes the critical importance of accurately confirming a patient's identity before administering medication. Confirming the patient’s identity using their ID band and medication administration record (MAR) is a standard and essential safety protocol in nursing practice. This process involves checking that the name on the ID band matches the patient’s name on the MAR, as well as verifying any additional identifying information, such as date of birth or medical record number, to ensure accuracy.

This proactive approach is vital because it reduces the risk of medication errors, such as administering the wrong medication or dosage to an individual. Ensuring that the right patient receives the correct medication is paramount to patient safety and efficacy of treatment.

While identifying the patient by room number may seem convenient, it's not sufficient on its own. Room numbers can be similar or change frequently, leading to potential mix-ups. Checking vital signs and asking patients about their current medications, while important parts of overall patient assessment and communication, do not directly confirm the identity of the patient like using the ID band and MAR does. Thus, the most reliable method for confirming patient identity prior to medication administration is through the use of an ID band and the MAR.