Before administering a medicine, how should you confirm you have the right patient?

Use at least two identifiers, such as name and date of birth, and check the wristband

Call out the patient's name and give it to whoever answers

Ask the patient in the next bed to point them out

Assume the patient in the bed is correct

You are about to give a medicine but notice the patient has a documented allergy to it. What should you do?

Withhold it and contact the prescriber

Give it and watch for a reaction

A colleague hands you a syringe they have already drawn up and asks you to give it. What is safest?

Decline to give a medicine you did not prepare or witness being prepared

Give it, as you trust your colleague

Give it but document it as theirs

A patient with capacity refuses their prescribed tablet. What is the correct action?

Respect the refusal, explain and document it, and inform the prescriber if needed

Crush it into their food without telling them

You are interrupted midway through a medication round and are unsure whether you gave a dose. What should you do?

Check the records and the patient before giving anything, to avoid a double dose

Ask the patient if they remember

Part B4 of 8 Providing and Evaluating Care Chapter 43 of 75

Medicines Administration Rights: Scenario Questions

NMC CBT medicines practice: the rights of administration, checking prescriptions and allergies, safe practice, and worked scenario answers.

Start reading ← Back to all parts ~5 min read

By JobLabs Editorial · UK healthcare reference editorial team

· July 16, 2026 · Updated Jul 17, 2026 · 2 min read

Administering medicines is one of the most frequent and most risky things a nurse does, and the CBT tests whether you do it safely and methodically. The questions are less about pharmacology than about the checks that stop errors reaching patients.

The rights

Safe administration is built on a set of checks, often called the rights: the right patient, the right drug, the right dose, the right route, and the right time. To these are added the right documentation and the patient’s right to refuse. Running through them before every administration is the habit the exam is testing. Some are obvious; the ones that catch people out are identity and allergies.

Identity and allergies

You confirm the right patient using at least two identifiers, such as name and date of birth, checked against the prescription and the wristband. Calling out a name is not enough, because a confused patient may answer to the wrong one. And you always check allergies. A documented allergy is an absolute reason to withhold the medicine and query it with the prescriber; being prescribed never overrides a known allergy.

Only what you prepared

A rule worth holding firmly: you administer only medicines you have prepared yourself or watched being prepared. A syringe someone else drew up out of your sight could contain anything, and giving it breaks the chain of accountability. This has been the root of fatal errors, so the safe answer is always to decline and prepare it yourself.

Refusal and uncertainty

A patient with capacity can refuse medication. You explain the purpose, respect the decision, document it, and tell the prescriber if it matters. Hiding medicine in food to give it covertly, without a lawful and agreed basis, is a serious breach.

When you are unsure whether a dose was given, perhaps after an interruption, you check the records before acting. Interruptions are a known cause of error, and a moment’s verification prevents both a missed dose and a dangerous double dose. Next: controlled drugs. Five medicines scenarios first.

Sources & further reading

Key takeaway from Medicines Administration Rights: Scenario Questions

Frequently asked questions

What should I check before giving any medicine?

Confirm the right patient using two identifiers, the right drug, dose, route and time against a valid prescription, check allergies and the expiry date, and consider why the medicine is being given. If anything is unclear, you do not give it until it is resolved.

Can I give a medicine another nurse prepared?

As a rule, you administer only medicines you have prepared yourself, or have witnessed being prepared, so you can be sure what is being given. Administering a drug someone else drew up out of your sight breaks the chain of accountability and is unsafe.

What if a patient refuses their medication?

A patient with capacity has the right to refuse. You explain the purpose and consequences, respect the decision, document the refusal, and inform the prescriber if it matters clinically. You never hide medicine in food to give it covertly without a lawful, agreed basis.

Check your understanding

Quick quiz: Medicines Administration Rights: Scenario Questions

5questions. Click an answer to see the explanation. Your score is saved on this device only.

1
Before administering a medicine, how should you confirm you have the right patient?
Correct identification uses at least two identifiers against the prescription and wristband, because calling a name can lead to the wrong person answering, especially if they are confused. Assuming or relying on others risks a serious wrong-patient error.
2
You are about to give a medicine but notice the patient has a documented allergy to it. What should you do?
A documented allergy is an absolute reason to withhold and query the prescription with the prescriber. Being prescribed does not override an allergy, and giving it, even at a reduced dose, risks a serious or fatal reaction. Checking allergies is part of safe administration.
3
A colleague hands you a syringe they have already drawn up and asks you to give it. What is safest?
You administer only medicines you prepared or watched being prepared, so you can be certain what is in the syringe. Giving an unlabelled drug drawn up out of your sight breaks accountability and has led to fatal errors. You decline and prepare it yourself if needed.
4
A patient with capacity refuses their prescribed tablet. What is the correct action?
A capacitous patient can refuse medication. You explain the reason and consequences, respect the decision, document it, and tell the prescriber if it is clinically important. Covert administration without a lawful basis, coercion, or falsifying the record are all serious breaches.
5
You are interrupted midway through a medication round and are unsure whether you gave a dose. What should you do?
When unsure, you check the drug chart and any signature before acting, because giving a second dose could cause harm and assuming it was given could mean a missed dose. Interruptions are a known cause of medication error, which is why verifying before acting matters.