What should you do if a medication label is damaged or unreadable?

• A. Do not administer; stop and request a replacement label/medication; notify the nurse.
• B. Proceed with administration using memory.
• C. Use another person's label.
• D. Write down the medication from memory.

Answer: (A)

When a medication label is damaged or unreadable, you cannot confirm what medication it is, its dose, or any special instructions. The safest move is to stop and do not administer the drug. Request a replacement label or a properly labeled medication and notify the nurse (or supervisor) so the correct item can be identified and prepared. This protects the patient from giving the wrong drug, the wrong dose, or the wrong route, and it upholds the verification steps that prevent medication errors. Relying on memory, using someone else’s label, or writing down information from memory can lead to dangerous mistakes, so those options aren’t acceptable. Follow your facility’s policy and document as needed after obtaining a properly labeled item.