Final answer:
A nurse should check the medication three times under the 'right drug' principle of the Six Rights of medication administration.
Step-by-step explanation:
The nurse should verify the medication three times before administering it to adhere to the “right drug” principle of the Six Rights of medication administration. This process includes checking the medication when the nurse reaches for the container or unit dose package, after retrieval from the drawer and comparing it with the MAR (Medication Administration Record), and before giving the unit dose medication to the patient or when replacing the multi-dose container in the drawer or shelf. Ensuring the right drug is critical, as dosage and administration must be carefully determined to achieve therapeutic levels without causing toxicity.
Patient safety is paramount, and for a nurse, accurate medication administration is an essential part of care. It's important to select the optimum dosage to minimize the risk of side effects while still achieving clinical efficacy, considering factors like patient mass, history of liver or kidney dysfunction, and drugs' half-lives and metabolic profiles. Dose-dependent and time-dependent characteristics of the medication also play a role in determining the dosage and intervals between doses.