1. List four guidelines for safe and proper use of medications

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1. List four guidelines for safe and proper use
of medications

• REMEMBER
• Although home health aides do not usually handle
  or give medications, you need to understand the
  kinds of medicine your clients may be taking, and
  what to do if a client experiences side effects
  or refuses to take a medication.

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Transparency 26-1 Guidelines for Use of
Medications

• Never handle or administer medications unless
  specifically trained and assigned to do so. Never
  touch the inside of the medicine bottle or pills.
  Never put any medication in the clients mouth.
• Observe clients taking their medication. Remind
  them to take meds. Bring med container to client.
  Provide food or water. Observe, report, and
  document.
• Know the difference between prescription drugs
  and over-the-counter, or nonprescription, drugs.
• Be aware of all medications a client is taking,
  both prescription and nonprescription. Report
  side effects or interaction symptoms including
  itching, trembling or shaking, anxiety,
  stomachache, diarrhea, confusion, vomiting, rash,
  hives or headache. Report and document
  observations.

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2. Identify the five rights of medications

• REMEMBER
• Knowing the five rights of medications will
  help prevent dangerous and possibly fatal
  mistakes.

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Transparency 26-2 Five Rights of Medications

• The right client (check the clients name on the
  label)
• The right medication (check the name of
  medication and expiration date)
• The right time (check label on what time or how
  often and compare with instructions in care plan)
  
• The right route (check label for instructions on
  how it is to be taken)
• The right amount (check label for dosage)

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Transparency 26-3 HHAs Role in Medication
Assistance

• Remind client to take medication.
• Check for right person, medication, time,
  expiration date, route, and amount.
• Read the medication label.
• Bring container to client.
• Bring needed equipment.
• Provide food or water.
• Shake liquid medications if ordered.
• Open and close containers.
• Position client for taking medication.
• Observe client taking medication.
• Document that client took medication, the time
  and any other medications or food taken at same
  time.
• Report reactions.
• Clean and store or dispose of equipment.
• Return medication to storage.

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3. Explain how to assist a client with
self-administered medications

• HHAs are generally NOT allowed to do the
  following
• Break apart or crush capsules or tablets
• Mix medication with food or drink
• Pour or mix medication from one bottle into
  another, even if both contain the same medicine
• Touch medication directly with their hands
• Assist with medication if the clients name is
  different from that on the label
• Assist with medication whose label has been
  removed or changed

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3. Explain how to assist a client with
self-administered medications

• HHAs are generally NOT allowed to do the
  following (contd.)
• Assist with medication if medication name does
  not match the name on the care plan
• Use appearance as the only way of identifying a
  medication
• Assist client in taking more or less of a
  medication than is ordered
• Remove or change a medication label
• Assist client with medicine at a time when it is
  not ordered
• Provide the wrong liquid for swallowing
  medications

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3. Explain how to assist a client with
self-administered medications

• HHAs are generally NOT allowed to do the
  following (contd.)
• Put medication into the clients mouth
• Draw up solution for injections
• Give the client an injection
• Dispose of used injection needles/syringes
• Insert suppositories or other medication into the
  rectum
• Insert or apply vaginal medication
• Do special cleaning of the clients eyelids or
  eyelashes to prepare for eye medications
• Put drops into the eye, ear, or nose
• Apply prescription medications to the skin

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3. Explain how to assist a client with
self-administered medications

• Remember the following when assisting clients
  with self-administration
• Document all medication taken.
• Report and document any possible reactions.
• Watch for side effects such as dizziness,
  drowsiness, headache, nausea and vomiting, or
  confusion.
• More serious effects are allergic reaction or
  hypersensitivity to drug (hives, fever, rash, or
  difficulty breathing).

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3. Explain how to assist a client with
self-administered medications

• NOTE
• Depending on agency and state rules HHAs may be
  allowed to assist clients with medication
  nebulizers. The box on pp. 432-433 discusses
  nebulizer use.

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4. Identify observations about medications that
should be reported right away

• The following are signs of possible side effects
  from medications
• Dizziness, fainting
• Nausea, vomiting
• Rash, hives, itching
• Difficulty breathing, swelling of throat or eyes
• Drowsiness
• Headache, blurred vision
• Abdominal pain
• Diarrhea
• Any other unusual sign

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4. Identify observations about medications that
should be reported right away

• Report the following problems immediately
• Client refuses to take medication
• Client takes wrong dose
• Client takes medication at wrong time
• Client takes wrong medication
• Medication container is missing or empty

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5. Describe what to do in an emergency involving
medications

• Possible medication emergencies include
• Allergic reaction (if severe, call 911 or for
  emergency help)
• Wrong dose taken
• Medication interactions/complications (if severe,
  call 911 or for emergency help)
• Overdose of medications (call poison control)

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5. Describe what to do in an emergency involving
medications

• REMEMBER
• In the case of an emergency involving
  medications, do not give liquids, food, or other
  medications unless instructed. The supervisor
  should be notified as soon as possible.

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6. Identify methods of medication storage

• Remember the following methods of storage
• Keep clients medication in one place, separate
  from others.
• If children or disoriented elderly are in the
  home, recommend that medications be locked away.
• All medications should be in childproof
  containers, outside the reach of children, if
  children are in the home.
• Refrigerate, if necessary, on a high shelf.
• Store away from heat and light.
• The client or a family member (not HHA) should
  discard expired or unlabeled meds, but not in
  trash. Ask your supervisor for disposal
  instructions.

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7. Identify signs of drug misuse and abuse and
know how to report these

• Drug abuse includes the following
• Refusing to take meds
• Taking wrong dose or at the wrong time
• Mixing with alcohol
• Taking medications that have not been prescribed
• Taking illegal drugs

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7. Identify signs of drug misuse and abuse and
know how to report these

• REMEMBER
• Clients may not take their medication for a
  number of reasons, such as dislike of side
  effects, Alzheimers disease, or difficulty
  swallowing. Report any difficulties to your
  supervisor.

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Transparency 26-4 Signs of Drug Misuse or Abuse

• Depression
• Anorexia
• Change in sleep patterns
• Withdrawal or moodiness
• Secrecy
• Verbal abusiveness
• Poor relationships with family members

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Chapter Exam

• 1. Which of the following is an over-the-counter
  drug?
• (A) Antibiotics
• (B) Cholesterol medication
• (C) Decongestant
• (D) Nitroglycerin
• 2. Which of the following is part of the five
  rights of medication?
• (A) Right Home Health Aide
• (B) Right Note
• (C) Right Report
• (D) Right Client

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Chapter Exam (contd.)

• 3. Which of the following is a way HHAs may help
  clients with self-administered medications?
• (A) Mix medication with food or drink
• (B) Take the medication out of the bottle for the
  client
• (C) Provide food or water to take with the
  medication
• (D) Place the medication in the clients mouth
• 4. Which of the following statements is true of
  proper medication storage?
• (A) Medications should be stored away from heat
  and light.
• (B) The HHA is responsible for disposing of
  expired medications.
• (C) Medications can be disposed of in the trash.
• (D) Medications should be stored in lower shelves
  in the refrigerator if children are in the house.

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Chapter Exam (contd.)

• 5. How should the HHA respond if a client refuses
  to take certain medications?
• (A) Insist that the client take the medication,
  telling the client it will cure his illness.
• (B) Call the clients family to see if they can
  get the client to take the medication.
• (C) Try to find out why the client does not want
  to take the medication and report to the
  supervisor.
• (D) Explain that the HHA will have to leave the
  house unless the medication is taken.

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Chapter Exam (contd.)

• 6. In the five rights of medications, what does
  the right route refer to?
• (A) How often the medication should be taken
• (B) In what way the medication should be taken
• (C) How the client should drive to the pharmacy
  to get the medication
• (D) When the medication expires
• 7. Which of the following is a home health aide
  not allowed to do when assisting a client with
  medications?
• (A) Shake liquid medications
• (B) Report possible reactions to the medication
  to the supervisor
• (C) Cut tablets in half
• (D) Read the medication label to the client

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Chapter Exam (contd.)

• 8. What should a home health aide do if a client
  seems to have a negative reaction to a
  medication?
• (A) Check online to see if the clients symptoms
  match common reactions to the medication.
• (B) Have the client lie down for half an hour.
• (C) Give the client a glass of water, wait 10
  minutes, then call a supervisor if the client has
  not improved.
• (D) Report the reaction immediately to a
  supervisor.

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Chapter Exam (contd.)

• 9. You discover a client has taken another
  household members prescription medication by
  mistake. What should you do?
• (A) Give the client syrup of ipecac to induce
  vomiting.
• (B) Call the local poison control number
  immediately.
• (C) Encourage the resident to eat plain crackers
  to soak up the medication in his stomach.
• (D) Wait to see if there is an adverse reaction,
  then call your supervisor.

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Chapter Exam (contd.)

• 10. Which of the following statements is true?
• (A) Because prescription drugs are legal, they
  cannot be abused.
• (B) There is nothing wrong with taking drugs that
  were prescribed for someone else, as long as the
  person taking them has the same condition.
• (C) Misuse of prescription drugs can be fatal.
• (D) It is never a problem to mix medications with
  alcohol.