A nurse from the adult medical unit is pulled to the geriatric unit. The nurse notes that many of the common medications provided are in lower doses than typically prescribed. What action by the nurse is the highest priority?
Notify the charge nurse that patients may have received inappropriate medication dosages.
Evaluate the laboratory values of each patient to determine liver and kidney function as a possible reason for decreased dosages
Do not worry about the discrepancy because this is not the nurse's unit.
Call the nursing supervisor to investigate the nurse's concerns.
The Correct Answer is B
A. Notify the charge nurse that patients may have received inappropriate medication dosages.
Jumping to conclusions about inappropriate dosages without first investigating the rationale for the dosing is premature and could cause unnecessary alarm.
B. Evaluate the laboratory values of each patient to determine liver and kidney function as a possible reason for decreased dosages. Lower dosages are often prescribed for older adults due to decreased liver and kidney function, which can affect drug metabolism and excretion. Evaluating lab values ensures that these dosages are appropriate and safe.
C. Do not worry about the discrepancy because this is not the nurse's unit.
Ignoring the discrepancy is not appropriate, as it’s important for all nurses to advocate for patient safety, regardless of the unit.
D. Call the nursing supervisor to investigate the nurse's concerns.
The nursing supervisor may need to be involved, but the first step is to review the relevant clinical data (lab values) to assess the situation.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is A
Explanation
A. Verify dosage based on weight calculation. This is the most critical safety action, as pediatric dosages are often weight-based to prevent overdosing or underdosing, ensuring the child's safety and the medication's efficacy.
B. Make sure that the medication has a barcode. While barcode scanning is important to verify the correct medication, it is a secondary action compared to ensuring the correct dosage based on weight.
C. Have a glass of water at the bedside. While having water available can be helpful, especially for oral medications, it is not a critical safety action. The focus should be on the correct dosage.
D. Ask the child if they have taken this medication before. While it can be useful to know a child's previous experience with a medication, this is not a priority safety action compared to verifying the correct dose.
Correct Answer is D
Explanation
A. Prophylactic antibiotics are used to prevent infections and are not a standard part of palliative care unless specifically needed.
B. Curative therapy aims to cure the disease. Hospice care focuses on comfort, not cure, especially in terminal conditions like advanced cancer.
C. Diagnostic medications are used for diagnostic testing and are not typically needed in hospice care.
D. Palliative therapy is the correct approach in hospice care, focusing on relieving symptoms and improving the quality of life for patients with terminal conditions.
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