The nurse is preparing to administer medication to a pediatric patient. Which essential safety action should the nurse take prior to administration?

Verify dosage based on weight calculation.

Make sure that the medication has a barcode.

Have a glass of water at the bedside.

Ask the child if they have taken this medication before.

Answer and Explanation

The Correct Answer is A

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.

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Correct Answer is D

Explanation

A. "This medication will replace vitamins and minerals that may be lost due to bleeding during surgery." Cefazolin is an antibiotic, not a replacement for vitamins and minerals. This statement is incorrect.

B. "This is a palliative medication to help ease the pain from surgery."Cefazolin is not a palliative medication; it is an antibiotic used to prevent infection, not to relieve pain.

C. "This medication will help the surgeon identify areas of bone destruction due to arthritis." Cefazolin does not aid in the identification of bone destruction. It is an antibiotic, not a diagnostic tool.

D. "This antibiotic is given as a prophylactic to help reduce the risk of infection after surgery."
This statement is correct. Cefazolin is given prophylactically to reduce the risk of postoperative infection.

A. "What do the pills look like?" B. “Ask if there is medication to induce vomiting in the household.” C. "Have the child drink a glass of milk." D. “I'm calling emergency personnel for you now."

Correct Answer is D

Explanation

A. "What do the pills look like?" This is a critical question because identifying the medication will guide the nurse in determining the appropriate course of action. However, it should not be the initial response because emergency services should be alerted immediately if the child's life is potentially at risk.

B. “Ask if there is medication to induce vomiting in the household.” Inducing vomiting is not recommended without knowing the specific substance ingested, as it could cause more harm, particularly if the substance is caustic or can lead to aspiration. This is not the best initial action.

C. "Have the child drink a glass of milk." While milk may sometimes be recommended to coat the stomach, this advice is not universally appropriate, particularly without knowing the substance ingested. Milk could interfere with the absorption of some medications or exacerbate the condition.

D. "I'm calling emergency personnel for you now." This is the best response as it ensures immediate medical help is on the way. Time is critical in poisoning cases, and the child may need immediate intervention from professionals.

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The nurse is preparing to administer medication to a pediatric patient. Which essential safety action should the nurse take prior to administration?

Nursing Test Bank

Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams

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