Medication & Pharmacology
The Responsibility of Task Delegation
In the Danish healthcare system, medication administration is a delegated task. This means that a doctor or nurse has authorized you to perform this duty. You are legally responsible for ensuring you have received the necessary training and that you follow the established protocols to the letter.
Safety is built on the Seven Rights (De 7 rigtige): Right Citizen, Right Medicine, Right Dose, Right Route, Right Time, Right Documentation, and Right Action (effect/side effects).
How Medicine Works (Pharmacokinetics)
Pharmacology is the study of how substances interact with the body. For SOSU professionals, understanding absorption and excretion is vital. Elderly citizens often have reduced kidney or liver function, which means medication stays in their system longer, increasing the risk of toxicity and side effects (bivirkninger).
[Image of pharmacokinetics absorption distribution metabolism excretion]You must be particularly alert to interactions—when two different drugs affect each other's performance—and polypharmacy, where a citizen is taking so many different medications that the risk of complications rises significantly.
Observation and Documentation
Your job doesn't end when the pill is swallowed. You must observe the effect. Did the painkiller work? Is the citizen becoming unusually drowsy? Is there a rash? All theseclinical observationsmust be documented in the digital record system (such as CURA or Nexus).
If an error occurs, it is categorized as an Unintended Event (UTH - Utilsigtet Hændelse). Reporting these is not about blame, but about learning and preventing the same mistake from happening to another citizen.