What should you do after assembling equipment for medication administration?

After assembling equipment for medication administration, the next critical step is to wash hands. This practice is essential to maintain hygiene and prevent infection. Proper handwashing eliminates pathogens that could potentially contaminate the medication or the patient during the administration process. This step is fundamental to ensuring patient safety and adhering to infection control protocols within healthcare settings.

While reading the label, observing the 6 rights, and knowing the medication are all important steps in the medication administration process, they typically occur after ensuring that you have prepared your environment properly. Washing hands serves as a barrier against introducing harmful bacteria into the system, underlining the importance of infection prevention in patient care.