Medication Errors
What does MONA stand for?
Morphine, Oxygen, Nitroglycerin, and Aspirin.
How can therapeutic touch help a patient?
Therapeutic touch can help a patient feel more safe and less anxious.
Who is the most important member of the healthcare team?
The patient.
What is the goal of patient centered care?
Treat each patient as their own individual so their care is tailored to them. This will ensure their care is the best for them.
Why do nursing students have trouble with documentation?
What situation would you give MONA?
For a patient experiencing a Myocardial Infarction.
What are some examples of theraputic touch?
Hugging, holding hands, resting your hand on their arm, patting them.
What are some ways to improve communication?
Ensure to give through report during patient handoff, keep patient updated on plan of care, remember we are all on the same team.
What is one way to put a paitent at ease when the nurse is overwhelmed with tasks?
Take a second in between tasks to reassure the patient and remind them that they will be taken care of, and they are not forgotten.
What is a common documentation error that new nurses do?
Using general terms to describe the patients condition such as good for normal. Documentation needs to be specific to the patients condition.
Would you give Morphine to a patient experiencing a severe headache?
NO, it does not help with headache pain.
What are some examples of inappropriate theraputic touch?
Touching any private areas, touching the patient when they have said they do not want you to.
What are some examples of improper communication?
Talking about patient information with people not involved in their care, talking about patient information in open spaces, lying to your patient, dont assume anything (ask!).
How can patient-centered care be improved between nurses working together?
Give through report to nurses so they know the best way to care for that specific patient. Always ask your fellow nurses if they need help with anything so they donot get overwhelmed and can give their full attention to their patient.
Why is through, accurate documentation important?
It provides updates on the patients conditions if it changes and it proves that the healthcare team was not negligent in case of something going wrong.
How should you evaluate the effectiveness of nitroglycerin?
A decrease in chest pain.
What can you do if you are not sure if a patient is comfortable with theraputic touch?
Ask them if it is ok to touch them.
If you make a mistake as a nurse, do you communicate that with the patient?
Yes, you do not want to worry your patient but you do need to own up to any mistakes you make and inform your patient about them.
What does the acronym EMPATHY stand for?
Eye contact, muscles of facial expression, posture, tone of voice, hearing the whole person, and your response.
When assessing pain, what characteristics should we document?
Onset, location, duration, characteristics, aggravating factors, relieving factors, timing, severity.
What are ways to avoid a medication error?
Double check for the correct dose, route, medication, and time with the MAR; check patient identification, verify the medication is not contraindicated.
How can you remember to provide therapeutic touch in an emergency situation?
Always keep patient centered care in the front of your mind. This will help to remind you to always treat your patient was a person first, then their sickness.
Why is communication necessary between the heathcare team and the patient during emergency situations?
Communication between the healthcare team and the patient is important because it ensures that everyone is on the same page and the care given is what is best for the patient.
What are examples of poor patient-centred care that nurses typically do?
Treating the patient more as a task than a person. This can include going into the room and just going down a list of questions, not being empathetic to pain, not maintaining good eye contact.
What should you do if you dont know what to document?
Ask a fellow nurse how to document correctly or reassess your patient to determine what to document.