What should you verify before giving a medication?

• A. The medication order only.
• B. The medication order, MAR, patient identifiers, and any allergies or contraindications.
• C. The MAR alone.
• D. The patient’s room or diet.

Answer: (B)

Before giving a medication, you must perform a thorough safety check that confirms several key elements. Verify the medication order to ensure the correct drug, dose, route, and timing. Cross-check this against the patient’s MAR so what’s documented matches what you’re about to administer. Confirm the patient’s identity using two identifiers (for example, name and date of birth) to be sure you’re treating the right person. Finally, check for any allergies or contraindications in the chart so the medication won’t cause an adverse reaction or interact with other conditions. If any of these items don’t align, you should not administer the med until the discrepancy is resolved.

Relying on only the order, or only the MAR, or only the patient’s room/diet misses essential safety steps. Each piece—order accuracy, medication record, correct patient, and allergy/contraindication status—plays a critical role in preventing medication errors.