Is it 5 or 7?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.

Read on another board where a poster mentioned the 7 rights of med administration. In my program we were taught only five:

1 pt

2 dose

3 med

4 route

5 time

what are the other two? or is this a mistake or something used in other countries/states?

Expiration date can be considered a right. I learned it as P-DART-E.

Patient

Drug

Amount of drug

Route

Time

and

Expiration.

I don't know of a seventh one, but if I can take a wild guess, I'd say Patients' birthdate? It helps ensure that the patient is who they say they are.

I'm going to keep a lookout on this thread, because I'm really curious about the extra rights. :)

Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.

that sounds reasonable to me

Specializes in Critical Care.
Expiration date can be considered a right. I learned it as P-DART-E.

Patient

Drug

Amount of drug

Route

Time

and

Expiration.

I don't know of a seventh one, but if I can take a wild guess, I'd say Patients' birthdate? It helps ensure that the patient is who they say they are.

I'm going to keep a lookout on this thread, because I'm really curious about the extra rights. :)

I didn't learn it w/ expiration date. I originally learned the first 5 but the school here are teaching 6 rights, the first five, and then the right documentation as the 6th.

It wouldn't be birthdate - that is only 1 pt identifier that you can use.

~faith,

Timothy.

Specializes in Education, Administration, Magnet.

Right Documentation was out 6th one also. We did not have expiration date.

Right Reason

That's what I was taught, and it has served me well.

Right to refuse

Patient

Drug

Dose

Route

Time

Rationale for medication

Documentation

Specializes in Critical Care.
Right Reason

That's what I was taught, and it has served me well.

That sounds good.

I knew a nurse once that meant to give ativan to a young man for nausea (No, I wrote that right) but accidentally gave atropine instead.

Now, how many med errors is that?

~faith,

Timothy.

Specializes in IMCU/Telemetry.
Right Documentation was out 6th one also. We did not have expiration date.

Ditto for my hospital. Documentation is our 6th as well.

I recall "right to refuse" being in there too.

Just to refresh everyone's mind:

Right patient

Right medication

Right dosage

Right route

Right time/date

and Right to know

and Right to refuse!

There you go all seven. hope that helps!

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