A novice nurse attends a lecture regarding risk management. Which ...

[natalie2426]

A novice nurse attends a lecture regarding risk management. Which action should the nurse implement to reduce risks in practice?
 
  A) Not discussing errors made
  B) Questioning every order that the physician writes
  C) Purchasing liability insurance
  D) Storing unused equipment in the halls of the unit

Question 2

The nursing instructor is evaluating the success of training provided to staff nurses on ways to reduce the incidence of pediatric medication errors. Which observations indicate that training has been effective?
 
  Select all that apply.
  A) Staff nurses are double checking medication calculations.
  B) Staff nurses are refusing to administer medications.
  C) Staff nurses are using liquid preparations.
  D) Staff nurses are asking the pharmacy to prepare the exact doses.
  E) Staff nurses are asking each other to validate placement of decimal points.

[juiceman1987]

Answer to Question 1

Answer: C

A large part of risk management entails reducing cost related to lawsuits. The nurse is best protected by purchasing personal liability insurance. Risk management also entails analyzing errors to determine causes and changing policy to reduce more errors. Nurses should report all errors in an effort to assist in the campaign to reduce medical errors. Storing unused equipment in the hall serves to eliminate risk of contamination, but could increase the risk due to injury. The nurse does not need to question every order that a physician writes; the nurse is responsible only to question orders that may injure clients.

Answer to Question 2

Answer: A, C, E

Children are at a higher risk for medical error than other clients and also may be more vulnerable to harm from errors due to their immature physiology. Reasons for increased medical error among children include miscalculation of doses and amounts, and incorrect placement of the decimal point in calculations. Nurses who double check medication calculations, use liquid preparations, and ask another nurse to validate the placement of the decimal point are demonstrating that the training was effective. The nurses should not be refusing to provide medications to the pediatric client and should not expect the pharmacy to prepare the medications in exact doses.