How should you respond to a medication label that is difficult to read?

• A. Do not administer; seek clarification from nurse or pharmacy; obtain a readable label before administration.
• B. Administer with the best guess.
• C. Request a new bottle from inventory.
• D. Skip the dose entirely.

Answer: (A)

When a medication label is hard to read, the priority is patient safety by confirming the exact drug, dose, and route before giving anything. Unreadable labels raise the risk of administering the wrong medication or dose, so you should stop and seek clarification from the nurse or pharmacy to obtain a readable label or a verified order on the MAR. If needed, request a new bottle from inventory, but only after you’ve confirmed the correct details with the nurse or pharmacy. Do not administer based on guesswork or skip the dose without explicit direction.