A nurse uses a barcoding system to administer medication. What additional step must the nurse take to ensure medication safety?
Skip manual checks since barcoding ensures accuracy.
Use the barcoding system only for high-risk medications.
Rely solely on the barcoding system for verification.
Conduct a manual check of the medication with the MAR before administration to ensure the medications match.
The Correct Answer is D
A. Skip manual checks since barcoding ensures accuracy: Barcoding significantly reduces errors but is not infallible. System errors, mislabeling, or scanning failures can occur, so skipping verification can compromise patient safety.
B. Use the barcoding system only for high-risk medications: Barcoding should be applied to all medications to ensure consistency and safety, not limited to high-risk drugs. Limiting its use increases the potential for errors with routine medications.
C. Rely solely on the barcoding system for verification: While barcoding aids in verification, nurses must also apply clinical judgment and confirm correct patient, medication, dose, route, and timing. Sole reliance on technology can miss errors the system does not detect.
D. Conduct a manual check of the medication with the MAR before administration to ensure the medications match: Performing a manual comparison between the medication and the MAR provides an additional safety layer. This step verifies that the correct drug, dose, and route are administered to the right patient, complementing the barcoding system.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is D
Explanation
A. Intravenous (IV): Heparin can be administered intravenously in certain situations, such as continuous infusion for anticoagulation in critical care. However, routine prophylactic or low-dose heparin injections are not given IV in the subcutaneous form.
B. Inhalation: Heparin is not administered via inhalation for standard anticoagulation therapy. This route is not used for systemic anticoagulation.
C. Intramuscular (IM): IM injections of heparin are avoided due to the risk of hematoma and bleeding at the injection site. Muscle tissue is more prone to bleeding complications with anticoagulants.
D. Subcutaneous: The recommended route for routine heparin injections, including prophylaxis for venous thromboembolism, is subcutaneous. SQ administration provides slower absorption and minimizes the risk of systemic bleeding compared with IM injections.
Correct Answer is D
Explanation
A. In the medication storage room while selecting the medication: Verifying the medication in the storage area is an important initial check, but it does not confirm the correct client or final safety considerations. Errors can still occur if the final check is not performed at the bedside.
B. At the time of documentation after administering the medication: Documentation after administration records the event but does not prevent errors during administration. Verification at this point is too late to ensure safety.
C. At the nurse's station while reviewing the provider's prescription: Reviewing orders at the nurse’s station helps with preparation, but it does not verify the correct medication, dose, or route for the specific client at the time of administration.
D. At the client's bedside immediately before giving the medication: The final verification at the bedside ensures the “five rights” of medication administration—right client, right drug, right dose, right route, and right time—are confirmed immediately prior to administration. This is the safest practice to prevent errors.
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