Author Question: A nurse is aware that the incidence of medication errors at the hospital is much higher than it ... (Read 137 times)

ap345 · **on:** Jul 8, 2018

A nurse is aware that the incidence of medication errors at the hospital is much higher than it should be and that it is possible to reduce this incidence. Which of the following measures carries the greatest potential to reduce medication errors?

A) Implementing team nursing, whereby every medication is administered by a pair of nurses
B) Attaching physicians' orders to medication administration records (MARs)
C) Keeping medication administration records (MARs) at the patients' bedsides
D) Taking action to reduce distractions to nurses while they are administering medications

Question 2

A nurse is transcribing a physician's new drug order on to a patient's medication administration record. In light of the potential for drug errors, how should the nurse best record the drug order?

A) Digoxin 0.125 mg PO daily
B) Digoxin .125 mg PO daily
C) Digoxin 0.1250 mg PO daily
D) Digoxin .1250 mg PO daily

cloudre37 · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 8, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Ans: D
One of the causes of errors most frequently reported by nurses is that of
interruptions while administering medications. Team nursing, attaching MARs to orders, and
keeping MARs at patient bedsides are not measures that have been widely proposed or that
have been shown to reduce medication errors.

Answer to Question 2

Ans: A
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices requires that leading zeros before the
decimal point always be included and trailing zeros after a decimal point never be used.