A Caring Approach to Teaching Medication Administration Tasks

Price (includes one year of access and CE):  US$14 Course Code: 7SENNF-PRV-09-ddn210 CE: 2.75 Hours. Post Test Score Required for Successful Completion: 80%

Course Overview:

Administering medications to clients with developmental disabilities requires special skills. These clients can have complex medication regimens, and nurses may have to adapt usual medication administration techniques to accommodate limitations caused by disabilities. Additionally, nurses must be knowledgeable about state statutes that regulate the delegation of medication administration tasks to unlicensed caregivers. This module focuses on how nurses can teach caregivers a safe and caring approach to carrying out delegated medication administration tasks. Disability-specific guidelines for topics such as psychotropic side effects are provided, tips and techniques for all routes of medication administration are offered, and strategies for promoting independence in self-medication for capable clients are presented. The module also emphasizes legal and quality assurance issues related to medication administration, including requirements for recognizing and reporting medication errors.

Course Objectives:

After completion of this learning activity, the learner will be able to:

• apply transpersonal teaching-learning to promote a caring approach to medication administration by unlicensed caregivers to people with developmental disabilities.
• formulate medication administration tips and techniques that involve actions and choices by the nurse, the caregiver, and the person with developmental disabilities to promote a caring approach to medication administration.
• select strategies to empower caregivers to notice and communicate important medication administration issues, such as medication errors, refusals, side effects, need for knowledge, use of PRNs/protocols, and adequacy of resources.
• translate common clinical concerns and side effects related to the use of psychotropic drugs (neuroleptics) into phenomena recognizable by caregivers to promote a caring approach to medication administration.
• integrate essential elements in assessing and enhancing levels of independence in self-administration of medications by people with developmental disabilities.
• relate sources for laws and statutes that govern medication administration tasks by caregivers to non-independent people with developmental disabilities in various settings and living arrangements.
• describe professional accountability and quality assurance related to medication administration tasks carried out by caregivers.

This courseware was made possible in part by grant number R43 NR04738-03 from the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors.

Copyright© 2007 by HealthSoft, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

HealthSoft, Inc. is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the New York State Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

It has been assigned code 7SENNF-PRV-09.

This course is updated annually. Expiration date: 5/1/11

The faculty and planners of this course have no vested interests to disclose.

This course has received no commercial support.