Medication Safety
What is one important thing a nurse should do before giving a medication?
Verify the 6 rights: Right patient, medication, dosage, time, route, and documentation.
Which ethical principle means “do no harm”?
Nonmaleficence.
What type of error was involved in Kimberly Hiatt's case?
A medication dosage error involving calcium chloride.
What should a nurse do if they are unsure about a medication or order?
Stop and ask for clarification before administering it.
What does “scope of practice” mean?
The tasks and responsibilities a nurse is legally educated, trained, and authorized to perform.
A nurse realizes they gave the wrong dose of medication. What should they do first?
Assess the patient and immediately report the medication error according to facility policy.
Which ethical principle means acting in the patient's best interest?
Beneficence.
What happened to the patient after the medication error?
The infant, a critically ill patient, suffered a cardiac arrest and later died.
Why is communication important for patient safety?
Good communication helps prevent misunderstandings, missed information, and errors between nurses and other healthcare professionals.
What should a nurse do if asked to perform a task outside of their scope of practice?
They should not perform the task and should notify the appropriate nurse or supervisor.
Why is it dangerous for a nurse to ignore a medication dose that seems unusually high?
It could result in a medication error and cause serious harm to the patient. The nurse should stop and clarify the order before administering it.
Why is accountability important for nurses after making a mistake?
Nurses are responsible for their actions and must be honest, report errors, and help protect the patient from further harm.
What is one major issue this case raises about how healthcare organizations respond to nursing errors?
It raises the question of whether nurses should be punished for honest mistakes or whether organizations should focus more on learning from errors and preventing them from happening again.
Name two ways a healthcare organization can help prevent medication errors.
Proper medication training, double-checking high-alert medications, improving communication, using barcode medication administration, and creating a safe environment for nurses to report errors.
Why is staying within your scope of practice important for patient safety?
It helps ensure that nurses only perform duties they are properly trained and legally allowed to perform, reducing the risk of harm to the patient.