Safety in Medication Administration

To which external agency would the nurse report significant events that caused patient harm?

The Joint Commission The Joint Commission is an external agency to which all sentinel events that result in patient harm should be reported.

Which nursing intervention is appropriate to prevent medication errors for an older adult patient with impaired vision?

Using pill organizers to prepare medications for the patient ahead of time Using pill organizers to sort medications for the next day or week can be helpful for older adult patients with vision impairment.

Which way should half an mg be written to prevent medication error? Record the answer using one decimal place. __ mg

0.5Adding a leading zero is important in avoiding medication errors. For example, .5 mg can be misinterpreted as 5 mg, because one might miss to see the period. When a leading zero is used, the value becomes clearer. So, half should be represented as 0.5. Do not add a trailing zero as it could be mistaken for 50 instead of 0.5.

Which abbreviation is appropriate for the nurse to use to prevent medication errors?

0.X mg 0.X mg is an appropriate abbreviation to use to prevent medication errors. It is important that the nurse use leading and trailing zeros appropriately when using this abbreviation.

Which nursing action is a strategy for decreasing medication errors? Select all that apply. One, some, or all responses may be correct.

Ignoring a phone call while preparing medicationsNurses must remain vigilant and mentally present when preparing medications. So, it is important to stay focused and not have distractions, like a phone call. Checking the patient's armband before administering medicationsThe nurse should always double-check the patient's armband as part of the process to prevent medication errors. Asking the patient to mute their TV while administering medicationsLimiting distractions and remaining mentally present while administering medications can decrease the chance for medication errors. So, it is better to avoid external distractions such as a TV. Using automated medication dispensing systemsThe use of automatic medication dispensing systems can help prevent medication errors, but it is still important for the nurse to perform the three checks for all medications.

Which advantage corresponds to using an automated medication dispensing system?

Maintains heightened security measures for medications An advantage of using automated medication dispensing systems is that they secure the medications with passwords or biometric fingerprint scanning for access.

Which outcome is likely to occur with medication or procedure errors? Select all that apply. One, some, or all responses may be correct.

Poor patient health outcomesSerious physical harm and death can occur with medication and procedure errors, which results in poor patient health outcomes. Increased patient morbidity ratesIncreased morbidity rates are expected with medication and procedure errors. Increased rate of hospital-acquired infectionsHospital-acquired infection rates would be expected to increase with medication and procedure errors. Psychological harm to patientPsychological harm can be a consequence of medication or procedure errors.

Which purpose is accomplished by teaching older adults about the medications they are taking?

Reduces medication errors Medication errors are reduced when older adults are taught about the medications they are taking.

A health care provider prescribes a medication for a specific patient and includes the dose and the time. Which information must be included in the prescription to ensure safe administration?

Route of administration The health care provider must specify the route of administration for the medication to be given safely.