ASM34 1.1
Legislation – The Medicines Act, Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations, The Health and Safety at Work Act, The Misuse of Drugs Act, The Misuse of Drugs (Safe Custody) Regulations, Health and Social Care Act
The Medication Policy and procedure and Mars Handbook covers assessment of individuals’ needs, administering, storage, recording and disposal of medicines including their effects and potential side effects
ASM34 2.1
Common Types of Medication, Effects, Potential Side Effects
Analgesics e.g. paracetamol
Analgesics are used to relieve pain such as headaches.
Addiction to these can happen if taken over a long period of time. Also, irritation of the stomach, liver damage and sleep disturbances as some
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Oral
This is medication that is taken via the mouth. This can be in the form of tablets and capsules. If an individual finds it difficult to swallow tablets oral medication is also available in liquids, suspensions and syrups. Sublingual medications are for example when tablets are placed under the tongue to dissolve quickly.
Transdermal
Transdermal medications come in the form of patches that are applied to the skin normally to the chest or upper arm. They work by allowing the medication to be released slowly and then absorbed. For example, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) patches and nicotine patches.
Topical
Topical medications come in the form of creams and gels and are applied directly to the skin surface usually to treat skin conditions.
Instillation
Instillation medications come in the form of drops or ointments and can be instilled via the eyes, nose or ears. Drops can be used for ear or eye infections. Nose sprays are used for treating for example hay fever.
Intravenous
Intravenous medication enters directly into the veins and absorbed quickly.
Rectal/Vaginal
Rectal medications are absorbed very quickly. Suppositories are available and are given into the rectum. Pessaries are given into the vagina.
Subcutaneous
Subcutaneous medications are injected just beneath the skin i.e. insulin is
Antifungal creams are used to treat things like athlete’s foot, ringworm of the groin and body, skin infection because of Candida yeast. A serious systemic infections like crypotococcal meningitis. Antifungal injections are used to treat infections like Candidiasis, Coccidiomycosis, and Crypotococcal Meningitis. Antifungals work by exploiting differences in mammalian and fungal cells to kill the fungal organisms with no dangerous effects on the host. Fungal and human cells are alike at the molecular level. Antifungal drugs can cause side effects; some could be fatal if the drug is not used properly (Antifungal medication, n.d.).
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA 2009), the wrong route of administrating medication accounts for 1.3 million injuries each year. An article published in September issue of the Journal of Patient Safety estimates there are between 210,000 and 400,000 deaths per year associated with medical errors. This makes medical errors the third leading cause of deaths in the United States, behind that comes heart disease and cancer. To prevent medical errors always follow the Three Checks and most importantly the Rights of Medication Administration. The “Rights of Medication Administration” helps to ensure accuracy when administering medication to a patient. When administering medication the administer should ensure they have the Right Medication, Right Patient, Right Dosage, Right Route, Right Time, Right Route, Right Reason, and Right Documentation. Also remember the patient has the right to refuse, assess patient for pain, and always assess the patient for signs of effects.
Legislations/codes of practice relating to general health and safety in a health or social care work setting are: The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974; Riddor 1995, COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health); Manual Handling operations regulations 1992; Health And Safety (First aid regulations 1981); Fire protection (Workplace) Regulations 1997; Food Safety Act 1990; Personal Protective Equipment and Management of Health and safety at work regulations 1999.
When an emergency occurs and first aid is required it is always important for a qualified first aider to carry out any first aid required there are many reasons for this, the most important is that if a non qualified person try s to give first aid they may cause more damage or injury to the individual, it is also against policies and procedures of organisations and health and safety legislations.
*Topical application administration - This is where creams, ointments and gels are applied directly to the skin. They can be used to treat skin conditions or can be used as a delivery route for an analgesic (a painkiller)
Organisational policy and procedures should include how to receive and record medication, safe storage, prescribing, dispensing, administration, monitoring and
Person administering the medication support an individual to take medication through following care plans or support plans; staying with the person to support them to take it; using appropriate equipment (spoon etc) and a drink of water and of course reassuring communication and of course time.
The storage of medicines is usually a matter for service users and their families however special procedures may need to be exercised in some cases to protect a vulnerable service user. Where it is inappropriate for the service user to have access this will identified in the care plan and medication must be kept in a safe place which is known and accessible to relative, care/support workers, health professionals and domiciliary care staff.
P3- explain relevant sections of key legislation associated guidelines with regard to the administration of medicines
1. In the workplace there is a generic Medication Management Policy and Procedures for Adult Services (Issue 10, 2012) document. This is kept to hand in a locked cupboard, readily available to read. It requires that all Healthcare Staff are given mandatory training and refreshers are provided. Legislation which surrounds the administration of medication includes The Medicines Act 1968, The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, The Data Protection Act 1998, The Care Standards Act 2000 and The Health and Social Care Act 2001
They are available in tablet form, syrup, nasal sprays, capsules, suppositories, and skin patches (Canada, 2009) (CAMH, 2010).
Topical-This would be a type of medication applied to the surface/skin on the body i.e. creams, foams gels,
Pharmacotherapy is the technique of treating a disease’s symptoms, which can be either mental or physical, via the use of drugs. This is as opposed to other treatments such as surgical, radiation or physical therapy. The use of drugs for the treatment of disease relies on the principle that the chemicals in the drug are only toxic towards the parasitic
Similarly anti-fungal or anti-bacterial topical applications may be prescribed for treatment of fungal or bacterial infections respectively.