Author Question: The nurse is working very hard to prevent medication errors. What plan(s) will assist the nurse in ... (Read 83 times)

lb_gilbert · **on:** Jul 23, 2018

The nurse is working very hard to prevent medication errors. What plan(s) will assist the nurse in preventing most errors?

1. Plan to always check the patient's identification band prior to administration of medications.
2. Plan to open all of the medications immediately prior to administration.
3. Plan to tell physicians that verbal orders will not be accepted.
4. Plan to record the medication on the medication administration record (MAR) immediately prior to administration.
5. Plan to validate all orders with another nurse prior to administration of medications.

Question 2

The nurse commits a medication error. The nurse documents the error in the patient's record and completes the incident report. What does the nurse recognize as the primary reason for doing this?

1. To verify that the patient's safety was protected
2. To protect the patient from further harm
3. To protect the health care facility from litigation
4. To protect the nurse from liability

quynhmickitran · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 23, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Correct Answer: 1,2,3
Rationale: Ways to reduce medication errors include checking the patient's identification band prior to administration of medications, telling physicians that verbal orders will not be accepted, and opening all of the medications immediately prior to administration. Medications should be documented on the medication administration record (MAR) after they have been administered. All orders do not need to be validated with another nurse, only the orders that the nurse is unsure about.

Answer to Question 2

Correct Answer: 1
Rationale: Documentation in the patient's medical record and completion of an incident report verify that the patient's safety was protected. Documentation of an error does not necessarily protect the health care facility from litigation. The patient has already been harmed; the documentation will not protect the patient from future harm. Documentation of an error does not necessarily protect the nurse from liability.