DHA Nursing Medication Administration and Safety — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What are the 'Rights' of medication administration that DHA nurses must follow?
- Right patient, right drug, right dose only
- Right patient, right drug, right dose, right route, right time, right documentation, right reason, right response (Correct answer)
- Right patient only
- Right dose and right time only
Correct answer: Right patient, right drug, right dose, right route, right time, right documentation, right reason, right response
DHA extends the traditional '5 Rights' to include right documentation (recording administration), right reason (understanding the indication), and right response (monitoring for expected and adverse effects).
Question 2: What is the DHA protocol for high-alert medication administration?
- Treat the same as regular medications
- Require independent double-check by two qualified nurses, standardized concentrations, and distinct labeling (Correct answer)
- Only require verbal confirmation
- High-alert medications do not require special handling
Correct answer: Require independent double-check by two qualified nurses, standardized concentrations, and distinct labeling
DHA classifies certain medications as high-alert (insulin, anticoagulants, opioids, concentrated electrolytes) requiring independent double-checks, standardized concentrations, and distinctive labeling to prevent errors.
Question 3: How should a DHA nurse manage a medication error?
- Hide the error to avoid consequences
- Immediately assess the patient, notify the physician, document the incident, complete an incident report, and participate in root cause analysis (Correct answer)
- Only tell the charge nurse
- Wait to see if the patient shows symptoms
Correct answer: Immediately assess the patient, notify the physician, document the incident, complete an incident report, and participate in root cause analysis
DHA medication error management requires immediate patient assessment, physician notification, accurate documentation, incident reporting through the facility's reporting system, and participation in review processes for learning.
Question 4: What is the DHA regulation regarding nurse administration of controlled substances?
- Any nurse can administer controlled substances without verification
- Controlled substances require dual-nurse verification, accurate documentation in the controlled drug register, and secure storage (Correct answer)
- Controlled substances are only given by physicians
- No special regulations exist
Correct answer: Controlled substances require dual-nurse verification, accurate documentation in the controlled drug register, and secure storage
DHA regulations require two nurses to verify controlled substance administration, with precise documentation in the controlled drug register including time, dose, patient, and both nurses' signatures, with medications stored in locked cabinets.
Question 5: What does a DHA nurse need to verify before administering an intravenous medication?
- Only the medication name
- Compatibility with existing IV fluids, correct dilution, appropriate rate of administration, and line patency (Correct answer)
- Only the expiry date
- Only that the patient has IV access
Correct answer: Compatibility with existing IV fluids, correct dilution, appropriate rate of administration, and line patency
Before IV medication administration, DHA nurses must verify drug compatibility with concurrent infusions, correct dilution and concentration, appropriate infusion rate, IV line patency, and site assessment.
Question 6: What is the DHA protocol for medication reconciliation?
- Not required in Dubai healthcare facilities
- Compare the patient's current medications against new orders at admission, transfer, and discharge to identify and resolve discrepancies (Correct answer)
- Only performed at discharge
- Only required for elderly patients
Correct answer: Compare the patient's current medications against new orders at admission, transfer, and discharge to identify and resolve discrepancies
DHA requires medication reconciliation at every transition of care (admission, transfer, discharge), comparing home medications against new orders to identify duplications, omissions, and interactions.
DHA Nursing Medication Administration and Safety
What are the 'Rights' of medication administration that DHA nurses must follow?