What should you do before and after administering medication to a resident?

Washing your hands before and after administering medication is crucial for maintaining hygiene and preventing the spread of infections. This practice is a fundamental aspect of infection control, which is especially important in healthcare settings to protect both the resident and the caregiver. Proper hand hygiene helps eliminate any potential pathogens on your hands that could be transmitted to the resident or vice versa.

In the context of medication administration, the importance of handwashing cannot be overstated. Many residents may have compromised immune systems, making them more susceptible to infections. Thus, ensuring that your hands are clean helps reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infections, which can have serious consequences for patient safety and wellbeing.

While contacting the family, documenting the administration time, and providing feedback to the resident are all relevant activities in managing a resident's medication regimen, they do not directly address the immediate safety measures that handwashing provides before and after the medication process. These activities can happen at different stages of care but do not replace the necessity of maintaining hand hygiene as a priority in medication administration.