A self-administration of medication pilot project: patient and nurse views

摘要

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) defines patient self-administration of medication (SAM) as the process of patients administering their own medicines (RPS, 2016). It is a 'transfer of responsibility' that should be dependent on a patient's ability to manage the tasks involved, as well as being willing and able to consent to do so (General Pharmaceutical Council, 2017). The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) supports the self-administration of medicinal products by patients and the administration by carers wherever it is appropriate (NMC, 2010). Several authors have discussed the use of the 'five rights' of medication administration: the right patient, the right drug, the right dose, the right route, and the right time, to reduce medication errors and harm (Tyreman, 2010;Frederico, 2017).