Routes and forms of medicines
Routes and forms of medicines
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On completion of this section you should have a general understanding of:
What are forms of medication
What is meant by 'routes of administration'
The limits of your role
How to safely manage time critical medication
Routes of medication
Supporting people to take their medicines may involve helping people to take their medicines themselves (self-administration) or giving people their medicines (administration).
Click on the images to find out what the general medicines training includes.
What is meant by "Form of Medication"?
A dosage form is the physical form in which a drug is produced
and dispensed, such as a tablet, a capsule, or an injectable
Route of administration
What is meant by the route of administration?
The 'route' of administration is the way in which a drug is taken into the body.
Common routes of administration is shown in the table.
You need to recognise the limits of your role.
Route of administration
Some routes of administration and some forms of medicines involve clinical or nursing tasks, these have been highlighted in red on the table.
It is important that you recognise these, as you CANNOT administer them unless you are specially trained and competent.
You need to recognise the limits of your role and competency depending on the route of administartion.
Time critical medicines
Some medications are time critical which means that they must be given within a specific time frame. A delay in administration could be a risk to the person. For example: Parkinson's medication, Antiepileptic medication, Insulin, Opiates, Antipsychotics (list is not exhaustive).
Where the prescriber has specified times on the directions e.g. 'take one at 11.30am', this must be adhered to.
The time of administration must be carefully considered and be responsive to a service user's needs.
Care homes often have a regular medication "round" but as time critical medicines may be outside of the normal round a personalised approach must be taken.
Reminders such as an alarm or a visual reminder can be used to help you remember to give the time critical medication on time, every time.
Domiciliary style care services should be able to prioritise visits to meet the needs of people who need support for time-critical medicines.
If it is not possible to administer the medication at the specified time, the service manager or designated person must be informed who must seek advice from the prescriber.
Click on to view a short video - Importance of getting medicines on time.
Spacing of doses
Some medications require a set amount of time between doses to be given safely. For example: Paracetamol requires at least 4 hours between doses and no more than 4 doses in 24 hours.
If it is not possible to administer the medication with the required time gaps inform a senior or your manager who must seek advice from the prescriber.
Record the time you administer medicines which contain paracetamol. Where a variable dose is prescribed e.g. 'give one or two tablets', record the number of tablets given.
As a general rule, doses of medication should be equally spaced out throughout the day, unless directed otherwise by the prescriber.
Non-daily doses
Some medications are not administered daily for example:
A transdermal patch - with the directions of apply one patch every 72 hours
A medication - with the direction to take one weekly
An injection - with the direction to administer once every 3 months.
This is not an exhaustive list.
The MAR chart needs to clearly identify when non-daily medicines are due to be administered and allow accurate recording of these medicines.
More information can be found in the CQC guide 'Time sensitive medicines' which can be found on the CQC website
Section 1: Routes and Forms of Medicines
In this section we have looked at:
What are forms of medication
What is meant by 'route of administration'
The limits of your role
How to safely manage time critical medication
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