These 6 rights include the right patient, medication, dose, time, route and documentation. Futhermore, nurses are also urged to do the three checks; checking the MAR, checking while drawing up medication and checking again at bedside. It is important to check for allergies as well before administration.

The First Amendment allows people to believe and practice whatever religion they want. They can also choose not to follow any religion. The government can, however, regulate religious practices such as human sacrifice or illegal drug use. Another very important freedom to the Founding Fathers was freedom of speech.

One of the recommendations to reduce medication errors and harm is to use the “five rights”: the right patient, the right drug, the right dose, the right route, and the right time.

Techniques involved in each route of medication administration are different, and some of the important points are summarized as follows:

• Intravenous Route.
• Intramuscular Route.
• Subcutaneous Route.
• Rectal Route.
• Vaginal Route.
• Inhaled Route.

The common parenteral routes are intramuscular (IM), subcutaneous (SC) and intravenous (IV). Box 1 outlines the advantages and disadvantages of parenteral routes.

For small therapeutic molecules, various routes for drug administration are parenteral (intravenous, intramuscular, and subcutaneous), oral, nasal, ocular, transmucosal (buccal, vaginal, and rectal), and transdermal.

Administration by injection (parenteral administration) includes the following routes:

• Subcutaneous (under the skin)
• Intramuscular (in a muscle)
• Intravenous (in a vein)
• Intrathecal (around the spinal cord)

Inhaling or breathing a volatile substance such as petrol or nitrous oxide (also known as laughing gas) is almost as fast as IV drug use, because the gaseous molecules travel easily and quickly through the cell walls from the lungs into the bloodstream.

Taking more than five medications is called polypharmacy. The risk of harmful effects, drug interactions and hospitalizations increase when you take more medications.

Bioavailability refers to the extent a substance or drug becomes completely available to its intended biological destination(s).

The use of barrier techniques, such as wearing gloves, decreases the risk of transmission of microorganisms. Remember: The most important process in the prevention of pathogen transmission is effective hand hygiene. The use of alcohol based hand rubs is also acceptable, unless hands are wet or soiled.