Difficulty: Medium
Average Score: 77%
Simulated
A nurse witnesses a newly licensed nurse take a client's prescribed pain medication instead of administering it to the client. Which of the following actions should the nurse take?
Correct answer
D
Rationale
The correct answer is D: Communicate the incident to the nurse manager. This action is crucial as it involves reporting a serious medication error that could potentially harm the client. The nurse manager needs to be informed immediately to address the situation, ensure the client's safety, and provide appropriate follow-up actions such as re-education for the newly licensed nurse.
A: Instructing the newly licensed nurse to complete an incident report is not sufficient on its own, as the nurse manager needs to be involved to address the issue comprehensively.
B: Documenting the incident in the client's medical record is important, but it does not address the immediate need to involve higher management in handling the situation.
C: Providing the client with information about the incident may cause unnecessary distress and is not the appropriate action to address the medication error internally.
In summary, communicating the incident to the nurse manager is the most appropriate action to ensure proper handling of the situation and prevent future errors.
A: Instructing the newly licensed nurse to complete an incident report is not sufficient on its own, as the nurse manager needs to be involved to address the issue comprehensively.
B: Documenting the incident in the client's medical record is important, but it does not address the immediate need to involve higher management in handling the situation.
C: Providing the client with information about the incident may cause unnecessary distress and is not the appropriate action to address the medication error internally.
In summary, communicating the incident to the nurse manager is the most appropriate action to ensure proper handling of the situation and prevent future errors.