A 6-year-old child who has chickenpox also has a fever of 102.9 F (39.4 C). The child’s mother asks the nurse if she should use aspirin to reduce the fever.
What is the best response by the nurse?

Choice A rationale:

Reporting a near-miss using the facility’s recommended protocol and correcting the error on the MAR is the appropriate action. A “near-miss” in healthcare is a situation where an error could have happened, but didn’t, either by chance or timely intervention. It’s crucial to report these incidents as they provide valuable information for risk management and quality improvement. By analyzing near-misses, healthcare facilities can identify potential hazards and take preventive measures to ensure patient safety. Correcting the error on the MAR is also important to prevent the same mistake from happening in the future.

Choice B rationale:

Reporting the near-miss to the next shift before the next dose is due is not the best course of action. While it’s important to communicate any potential issues to the next shift, it’s more crucial to report the incident immediately using the facility’s recommended protocol. This allows for a timely investigation and corrective action. Waiting until the next shift could delay these processes and potentially put patient safety at risk.

Choice C rationale:

Correcting the MAR error but saying nothing because nothing happened is not an appropriate response. Even though the error did not result in any harm, it’s still important to report it. Near-misses are often indicators of underlying system issues that need to be addressed. By not reporting the incident, the opportunity to improve patient safety and prevent future errors is lost.

Choice D rationale:

Notifying the pharmacy about the error they almost caused is not the most appropriate action. While it’s important to communicate with the pharmacy if they were involved in the error, the first step should always be to report the near-miss using the facility’s recommended protocol. This ensures that the incident is properly documented and investigated, and that appropriate corrective actions are taken.

The correct answer is Choice D.

Let’s go through the calculations step by step:

Step 1: Convert all the quantities to milliliters (mL), as the nurse needs to record the intake in mL. We know that 1 oz is approximately 29.5735 mL.

4 oz of juice = 4 × 29.5735 mL = 118.294 mL

6 oz of tea = 6 × 29.5735 mL = 177.861 mL 8 oz of broth = 8 × 29.5735 mL = 236.628 mL Step 2: Add all the quantities together:

118.294 mL (juice) + 177.861 mL (tea) + 100 mL (soda) + 150 mL (IV bolus) + 236.628 mL (broth) = 783.783 mL Step 3: Round off the total intake to the nearest whole number as required, which gives us 784 mL.

Therefore, the nurse should record 784 mL on the patient’s chart. However, this option is not available in the choices given. The closest option to this calculated value is 800 mL (Choice D).

Now, let’s discuss the rationales for each choice:

Choice A rationale:

500 mL would be an underestimate of the patient’s fluid intake. It does not account for all the fluids the patient consumed.

Choice B rationale:

600 mL, similar to Choice A, is an underestimate. It does not accurately represent the total volume of fluids the patient consumed. Choice C rationale:

700 mL is closer to the calculated intake but is still an underestimate. It does not fully account for all the fluids the patient consumed.

Choice D rationale:

800 mL is the closest option to the calculated intake of 784 mL. Although it’s slightly over the actual intake, it’s the best choice among the given options.