Medication Administration and Information Technology

Medication administration is the final step in the medication delivery cycle before a prescribed drug reaches a patient. In ambulatory settings, the patient, or in the case of children, the parent or guardian is responsible for accepting prescribed medications from the pharmacist and following directions regarding direct administration of drug doses. In inpatient settings, it is principally the bedside nurse who administers prescribed medications. A study of inpatient settings suggests that interventions by pediatric clinical pharmacists, while effective for intercepting prescribing errors, may be ineffective in intercepting harmful administration errors.1