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Medication reconciliation must include all medications the client is taking—prescription, over-the-counter, herbal supplements, and vitamins—not just those prescribed by their provider.

Reconciliation is an ongoing process that should occur at admission, during care transitions, and at discharge, not just once on admission.

Nurses should verify and communicate home medications to the provider, but only the provider may write or authorize orders; nurses do not write verbal orders based solely on the client’s home regimen.

A conference area is a private space, but it does not allow for real-time patient verification or engagement, which are key aspects of safe and effective handoff.

The nurse's lounge is not an appropriate or secure location for patient information exchange and can lead to breaches in confidentiality.

Reporting outside the client’s room may limit the nurse’s ability to involve the client or visually assess the patient during handoff.

Intramuscular –While intramuscular injections are absorbed faster than enteral or topical routes, they are still slower than intravenous administration because the medication must diffuse through muscle tissue into the bloodstream.

Enteral – Enteral (oral or via feeding tube) medications have the slowest absorption rate due to the time required for digestion and first-pass metabolism in the liver.

Topical – Topical medications are absorbed slowly through the skin and are generally used for localized rather than systemic effects.

The goal of dosing is to maintain consistent blood levels of the medication, not to cause fluctuations. Fluctuating levels can reduce effectiveness and increase side effects.

Medication schedules are determined by pharmacokinetics, not staff convenience. Doses are timed to optimize drug effectiveness and safety.

Waiting until the previous dose is completely gone can result in subtherapeutic levels and reduce the medication's effectiveness.

Waiting until the end of the shift delays documentation and increases the risk of errors or forgetting to chart the administration.

Documentation should not be left to whenever the nurse has time, as this is unsafe and unprofessional. Timely and accurate documentation is critical.

Documenting before administration is unsafe, as it could lead to charting a medication that was not actually given, especially if the patient refuses or there’s a change in condition.

This is part of the recommendation, where the nurse suggests a possible action or next step in care.

This information fits under the assessment component, which includes the nurse’s observations, clinical findings, and data.

This belongs in the situation portion, where the nurse identifies the immediate issue or concern prompting the communication.

2 tablets –That would equal 100 mg, which is too much.

1 tablet –. That equals only 50 mg, which is too little.

0.5 tablet –That equals just 25 mg, well below the prescribed dose.

Ask the patients their names –While asking is helpful, relying solely on verbal confirmation can lead to errors, especially if the patient is confused or hard of hearing.

Ask another nurse about their identities – This is indirect and can lead to miscommunication or error. Always verify with the patient and documentation directly.

Verify their names with the family members – Family members may not always be present or reliable. The nurse should verify identity using hospital protocols, not third parties.