Patients should learn about all the medications they receive in the hospital, including the name of each medication, reason prescribed, dose, route, and frequency. This is particularly important when medications may be continued following discharge. Patients can become more knowledgeable about their medications and help provide another level of safety by maintaining their own medication administration record (MAR) at the bedside. Each time a medication is administered, staff should review it with the patient first so that it can be verified and the appropriate entry made to the nursing staff’s MAR.
