When one person gives every dose, they know what was given. When a daughter does mornings, a son does weekends and a helper comes in the evenings, nobody holds the whole month in their head. MedlinePlus puts the problem plainly: with several medicines it can be hard to keep track, and you may forget which one has already been taken. A medication administration record is the page that answers "was it given, and who gave it?"
Nurses record every dose they give on a MAR. This one is the same idea in large print, for a family.
What's in the free file
- One month on one landscape page, with 9 numbered lines. Each line is one medication at one time of day.
- Three columns down the side: the line number, the medication and its strength, and the time of day.
- A box for each day from 1 to 31, with a firmer line after every 7 days and a pale tint on every second line, so the eye can follow a line across the month.
- Four lines at the top: name, date of birth, allergies, and month and year.
- The codes, printed under the grid: initials for a dose given, and R, H, A or O for a dose that was not.
- Large print. The title is 26 point and the lines at the top 18 point. The day boxes are about 1/4 inch wide and 1/3 inch tall, room for one set of initials.
- Fill-in fields for the top lines, each medication and each time, to type into before you print, in the free Adobe Acrobat Reader. The day boxes are for a pen.
- No pictures, no drug information and no doses: a blank form only.
- Sizes: US Letter and A4, as two files.
What goes in each column?
| Column | What to write |
|---|---|
| Line number | Already printed, 1 to 9, so a note can say "line 4" |
| Medication and strength | The name and the strength, copied from the pharmacy label, such as the name followed by "10 mg" |
| Time of day | When this dose is given, such as 8 am, noon or bedtime |
| Days 1 to 31 | The initials of the person who gave the dose, in the box for that day, or a code if it was not given |
A medication given twice a day takes two lines, one for each time. That way every box on the page stands for one dose.
How to fill in the record
- Start from the current medication list, checked against the labels. Our large-print medication list is free too.
- Fill in the top lines once: the person's name, date of birth, allergies (or "none known") and the month and year.
- Write each medication once for each time of day it is given, with the strength exactly as it is on the label. Put the lines in time order, so the person giving the morning doses reads down one block.
- Each time a dose is given, write your initials in that day's box on that medication's line, right after giving it, not before and not later from memory.
- If a dose was not given, write a code instead of initials (R, H, A or O), and a short note on the back: the date, the time, which line and what happened.
- Leave no due dose blank. By the end of each day, every dose due that day has initials or a code in its box.
- Start a new page each month, copying from the list again rather than from last month's record, so a change made at an appointment gets onto it.
What do the codes mean?
| In the box | It means | What else to write |
|---|---|---|
| Initials | The dose was given, by the person whose initials these are | Nothing |
| R | Refused: the person said no | A note on the back |
| H | Held: not given, for example on the prescriber's instruction | A note on the back |
| A | Away from home at that time | A note on the back |
| O | Other | A note on the back |
These are the codes printed on our record. Nursing practice works the same way: the OpenStax nursing skills textbook describes the nurse writing their initials in the box for the date and time of each dose, and a note on the back of the MAR when a dose was not given. A home care agency or care home may use its own codes on its own forms; if a professional fills in the record, use theirs.
Medication administration record or medication log?
They answer different questions. A medication log is the person's own weekly page to tick; a MAR records who gave each dose, across a month.
| Medication log | Medication administration record | |
|---|---|---|
| Who fills it in | Usually the person taking the medicines | The people who give them, such as family members and helpers |
| What goes in a box | A tick | The initials of whoever gave the dose, or a code |
| How long a page lasts | One week | One month |
| What it answers | "Did I take it?" | "Was it given, and by whom?" |
Our guide to keeping a daily medication log covers the weekly page. When the job is shared between several people, the MAR is usually the better fit: a question about a dose goes straight to the person whose initials are in the box.
Who uses a medication administration record at home?
- Families sharing the job, when siblings, a partner and grandchildren take turns giving a parent's medications.
- Paid helpers and family together, so the aide's evening doses and the family's morning doses are on the same page.
- Respite and short stays, when the person stays with a relative for a week and the record goes with the medicines.
- Child care and schools keep their own versions. Connecticut's Office of Early Childhood, for example, publishes a MAR with one medication order on each sheet and a line for each dose.
Initials only help if everyone can tell whose they are. Agree on everyone's initials before the month starts. Our full record has a page for that: each person writes their initials, full name and signature once.
What this record is not
It is a blank form for the family's own record. It does not say what to give, how much or when: that comes from the prescriber and the label, and questions about a missed dose, a refused dose or a change belong with the pharmacist or the doctor. The record is a useful page to have in your hand when you ask.
Our full Large-Print Medication Administration Record has 24 lines, 12 on each of two month pages, an as-needed record, a page for doses not given and a page that matches each set of initials to a name and a signature.
A medication administration record is one of the printable forms for family caregivers that families keep together in one binder, next to the medication list.
Frequently asked questions
What is a medication administration record?
A medication administration record, or MAR, is a chart for recording each dose of medication given to a person: a line for each medication and time of day, a box for each day of the month, and the initials of whoever gave the dose in that box.
How do I fill out a MAR?
Write each medication and its strength once for each time of day it is given, copied from the label. Each time a dose is given, write your initials in that day's box. If a dose was not given, write a code such as R for refused and add a note saying what happened.
What is the difference between a MAR and a medication log?
A medication log is usually one week that the person ticks themselves. A MAR usually covers a month and records the initials of the person who gave each dose, which suits care shared between several people.
Can family caregivers use a MAR at home?
Yes. A MAR is a blank form, and families who share the job of giving one person their medications use it so that everyone can see what was given and by whom. Questions about the medications themselves are for the pharmacist or the prescriber.
Is there a free printable medication administration record?
Yes. Doctor Carissa's free record is a large-print PDF in US Letter and A4, sent by email: one month on a landscape page with 9 lines and a box for each day from 1 to 31.
Free printables come with a personal-use license: how you can use a printable.
Sources
We opened and checked every link on October 23, 2026.
- Clinical Nursing Skills: 11.3 Documentation of Medication Administration, OpenStax (Rice University). The medication administration record (MAR) is used to document medication administration; the nurse writes their initials in the box for the date and time of each dose; the record has a place for each nurse's initials, printed name and signature; a dose not given gets a note on the back of the MAR saying why.
- Taking multiple medicines safely, MedlinePlus (National Library of Medicine). With several medicines it can be hard to keep track of when to take each one, and you may forget which medicine you have taken at a certain time.
- My Medicine Record (PDF), U.S. Food and Drug Administration. A medicine record lists all prescription and over-the-counter medicines and dietary supplements, how much, how and when to use each, and start and stop dates.
- Taking Medicines Safely as You Age, National Institute on Aging. Write down all medicines you take, including over-the-counter drugs, vitamins and supplements, and show the list to all your health care providers.
- Medication Administration Record (MAR) (PDF), Connecticut Office of Early Childhood. A child care MAR: one medication order per sheet, with a line for each dose (date, time, dosage, remarks) and the signature of the person who gave it.
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