What are the five rights of medication administration, and what additional safety checks should be used for high-risk drugs?

• A. Right patient, right drug, right dose, right route, right time; no high-risk checks.
• B. Right patient, right drug, right dose, right route, right time; no high-risk checks.
• C. Right patient, right drug, right dose, right time; skip allergy verification.
• D. Right patient, right drug, right dose, right route, right time; additional checks include verifying allergies, using double-checks, and following institutional policies for high-risk meds.

Answer: (D)

Medication safety hinges on applying the five rights of administration: right patient, right drug, right dose, right route, and right time. These ensure the correct drug is given to the correct person in the correct amount, by the correct method, at the proper moment. For high‑risk drugs, additional safety checks are essential to prevent serious harm. This includes verifying allergies, performing a double‑check with another clinician, and following institutional policies for high‑risk medications. Some systems also use bar-code verification and a medication-time‑out to stop errors before they happen. Because the option that includes both the five rights and these extra safety checks best reflects a comprehensive safety approach, it is the strongest choice.