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2.7.9: The right documentation

  • Page ID
    88238
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    The MA must document all drug administration in the patient’s medical record. Most practice management software systems populate fields appropriate for this task. However, these items are important to document:

    • Date and time of administration
    • The provider who ordered the drug
    • Any assessments completed (pain level or vital signs)
    • Patient drug or food allergies
    • Patient education provided
    • Name of the medication
    • Dose of the medication
    • Route the medication was administered
    • Lot number, expiration date, and manufacturer for some drugs (vaccines)
    • The patient’s response to the drug
    • Side effects or adverse effects experienced by the patient
    • Any further actions taken regarding patient response, side effects, or adverse effects
    • Any pertinent additional information such as patient refusal, patient position, patient comments
    • The MA’s signature with credentials such as CMA or RMA

    When documenting the drug dose, it is important to document the weight administered (e.g., grams, milligrams, or micrograms). The number of pills, milliliters, or other volume measurements are not as important as the actual amount of the drug administered.

    This is an example of good documentation in a patient’s medical record:

    1/1/20xx 13:00. The patient’s heart rate is 84bpm. Patient states that she has no drug or food allergies. Dr. Penter order for metoprolol explained to patient and patient instructed to check heart rate before taking drug. If the patient notices that their heart rate is below 60bpm, do not take the metoprolol. Metoprolol 50mg administered by mouth, patient tolerated procedure well. No side effects or adverse effects. Patient verbalized understanding of instructions. ------------------------------------------------------ M. Rodriguez CMA


      This page titled 2.7.9: The right documentation is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Anna Jannak (Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI)) .

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