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Make a clear, accurate and immediate record of all medicines administered, intentionally withheld or refused by the patient, ensuring the signature is clear and legible; it is also your responsibility to ensure that a record is made when delegating the task of administering medicine. In addition: • Where medication is not given the reason for not doing so must be recorded. • You may administer with a single signature any Prescription Only Medicine (POM), General Sales List (GSL) or Pharmacy (P) medication. (Taken from Standards for Medicines Management, 2008 ). It is important to remember that nurses are legally and professionally responsible for any error that might occur. In the past, the role of nurses in prescribing has been restricted to community nurses who were allowed to prescribe from a limited range of medicines, and appliances and dressings. However, from May 2006 the government permitted all nurses who had completed the relevant nurse prescribers’ course and assessments to become Nurse Independent Prescribers. These qualifi ed nurses are permitted to prescribe any licensed medicine within their competence; this includes some controlled drugs for use in palliative care, for example. The prescribing responsibilities of nurses are dependent on where the nurse is currently working. For example, the responsibilities of a nurse working in England may vary from the responsibilities of a nurse working in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. SAMPLE medicine to -effects, precautio -effects, preca plan of care (care plan/pathway) lan of care (care plan/pathwa prescription or the label on the medicine clearly written and unambiguous. and unambiguous. SAMPLE rug prevent mediaction of drugs makes drugs makes ancing drug therapy ug therapy vide the pharmacological ide the pharmacological therapy. The physiology of a herapy. The physiology of a related actions of many drugs on that actions of many drugs on that a way that allows clear understand- allows clear understandwork and what to anticipate when giving a anticipate when giving a drug. Thousands of drugs are available for possible to memorize all of the individual possible to memorize all of the individ among drugs in a class. However, it is important nd understand the most common drugs prescribed erstand the most common drugs prescribe ministered on a daily basis. When using unfami on a daily basis. When using unfam drugs, the nurse should fi should fi rst seek out the relevant information [e.g. from the British National Formulary (BNF)] to drug administration. to drug administration. SAMPLE The Management a The Management Administration o by Nurses many years, nurses in ears, nurses rugs in accorda gs in accorda pharmacist. r safe expiry date (where it exists) of the medicine to exists) of the medicine to administered. nsidered the dosage, weight where appropriate, sidered the dosage, weight where appropriate, method of administration, route and timing. of administration, dminister or withhold in the context of the pat inister or withhold in the context of the pa condition (e.g. digoxin not usually to be given if condition (e.g. digoxin not usually to be given if is below 60 beats per minute) and coexistin is below 60 beats per minute) and coexisti (e.g. physiotherapy). (e.g. physiotherapy). • Contact the prescriber or another aut Contact the prescriber or another au without delay where contraindicati without delay where contraindicat medicine are discovered, where medicine are di reaction to the medicine, or wh reaction to the indicates that the medicine dicates that th • Make a clear, accurate cines administered, the patient, ensuring is also your responsibility is also your when delegating In addition: In • Where CHAPTER 1 — Introduction to Drugs 5 Nurses should have a clear understanding of how the responsibilities have been implemented in their country. Pharmacology Pharmacology is the study of the biological effects of chemicals administered to a living organism. Nurses deal with pharmacotherapeutics , or clinical pharmacology, the branch of pharmacology that uses drugs to treat, prevent and diagnose disease. Clinical pharmacology addresses two key concerns: the effect(s) of the
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