Final answer:
It's essential to confirm the presence of bowel sounds and complete an abdominal assessment before administering medications to ensure the GI system is functioning and it's safe to proceed.
Step-by-step explanation:
Before administering medications, particularly oral or enteral ones, it is crucial to ensure that a patient has bowel sounds and complete an abdominal assessment. This is an important step as it helps to determine if the gastrointestinal system is functioning properly, indicating that it is safe to proceed with medication. The absence of bowel sounds could be a sign of a serious issue like an ileus or bowel obstruction, which may contraindicate the administration of oral medications.