Qualified Medication Aides (QMA) Practice Exam

When administering medications, what is the correct action regarding the patient's identification?

1. Ask the patient their name

2. Check the patient's wristband

3. Verify with another staff member

4. Look at their chart

The correct answer is: Check the patient's wristband

Ensuring proper patient identification is crucial in medication administration to prevent medication errors and safeguard patient safety. Checking the patient's wristband is considered the most reliable method because it typically contains the patient’s full name, date of birth, and other identifying information. This ensures that the information is accurate and up-to-date, reducing the risk of confusion that could arise from asking the patient, who may be confused or unable to provide their information correctly. In practice, verifying identification against the wristband helps to confirm the identity of the patient in a direct and systematic way. This method aligns with health care protocols that emphasize the "two patient identifiers" approach, which usually involves checking the name and date of birth against medication orders and the medication itself, thereby ensuring that the right medication goes to the right patient. Thus, utilizing the wristband is an effective and standardized procedure within healthcare settings, making it the correct action regarding patient identification in this context.