Topical Medication Application
Key Points
- Prevent contamination by transferring medication to a cup; never use gloved fingers directly in jars.
- Clean and assess target skin before application.
- Use clean glove transitions between cleansing and medication application.
- Common delegated topicals include OTC analgesics and nurse-directed antifungal or barrier products.
Equipment
- Ordered topical medication
- Gloves
- Medicine cup
- Medication spoon (for jar formulations)
- Barrier
Procedure Steps
- Complete routine pre-procedure actions.
- Don gloves.
- Transfer correct amount of medication into medicine cup.
- If medication is in jar, use medication spoon; avoid direct hand contact.
- If medication is in tube, do not squeeze directly onto gloved hand.
- Place medication cup on barrier.
- Clean target skin area; if patch present, verify removal instructions with nurse.
- Remove gloves and perform hand hygiene.
- Don clean gloves and apply medication from cup to affected area, rubbing gently for absorption.
- Remove gloves and complete post-procedure safety checks with skin-change reporting.
Common Errors
- Touching jar medication with gloves/fingers → contaminates remaining supply.
- Skipping glove change after cleansing → transfers contaminants to medication phase.
- Applying without patch verification → risks dosing error.