What is a crucial step to take before administering oral medications to a patient?

Ensuring that a patient can safely swallow oral medications is vital for several reasons. First, if a patient has difficulty swallowing due to conditions such as dysphagia, administering an oral medication could lead to choking or aspiration, where the medication goes into the lungs instead of the stomach. This can cause serious complications, such as aspiration pneumonia.

Additionally, assessing the patient's swallowing ability helps determine if any modifications in medication form or administration are necessary, such as crushing tablets or providing a liquid form of the medication, if appropriate. Therefore, checking the patient's ability to swallow is a critical step that directly impacts their safety and the effectiveness of the medication administration process.