A nurse is working with a colleague who frequently interrupts and dominates during patient care discussions. The nurse wants to address this behavior assertively to ensure effective teamwork.

Which response by the nurse demonstrates assertive behavior?

Choice A rationale
A non-productive cough is not a definitive sign of inadequate drug therapy for tuberculosis. It could be a symptom of many other respiratory conditions.
Choice B rationale
Decreased shortness of breath is generally a positive sign indicating improvement in the patient’s condition. It does not necessarily indicate inadequate drug therapy.
Choice C rationale
The presence of positive acid-fast bacilli in the sputum after 2 months of treatment indicates that the tuberculosis bacteria are still present in the patient’s body. This suggests that the triple antibiotic therapy is not effectively eliminating the bacteria, thus indicating inadequate drug therapy.
Choice D rationale
Poor appetite is a common symptom of tuberculosis, but it does not specifically indicate the effectiveness or inadequacy of drug therapy.

Choice A rationale
While ensuring that nurses demonstrate competency by passing a medication administration test is important, it is not the first step in developing a program to decrease medication administration errors. This strategy focuses on the individual skills of the nurses, but does not address the systemic issues that may have contributed to the errors.
Choice B rationale
Reviewing the circumstances leading up to each medication error is the first step in understanding why the errors occurred. This process allows the committee to identify patterns and common factors that contribute to errors. It is a crucial step in the development of effective strategies to prevent future errors.
Choice C rationale
Developing a quality improvement program for nurses involved in medication errors is a strategy that could be implemented after understanding the root causes of the errors. This approach ensures that the program addresses the specific issues that led to the errors.
Choice D rationale
Conducting an in-service training on medication administration for all nurses is a valuable strategy for preventing medication errors. However, it should be based on the findings from the review of the circumstances leading up to each error. Therefore, it is not the first strategy to consider.