Safe Oral Medication Administration: The Role of Nursing Staff

Abstract

The oral administration of medications is one of the most frequent and sensitive processes in nursing practice, as it constitutes an essential component of patient safety and therapeutic effectiveness. This descriptive and documentary study analyzed sixteen investigations published between 2019 and 2025 in databases such as Scielo, Redalyc, and Google Scholar, with the objective of identifying the most common errors, the protocols applied, and the role of nursing staff in preventing adverse events. The findings show that the most frequent errors are related to inadequate dosages, failures in patient identification, and omissions in administration schedules, issues that increase with work overload, fatigue, and the absence of clear protocols. It was also confirmed that the implementation of checklists, compliance with the “ten rights” of medication administration, continuous training, and pharmacovigilance significantly reduce the occurrence of incidents. The study concludes that patient safety does not depend solely on the individual responsibility of professionals, but rather on the interaction between clear protocols, institutional support, continuous education, and a solid legal framework that guarantees quality services. Likewise, nursing staff are confirmed as key agents in error prevention and patient education, consolidating their role as essential guarantors of healthcare quality.