Final answer:
After a medication error, a nurse should submit the completed incident report to a supervisor or risk management, which is used to improve safety and prevent future errors. The report contains detailed information about the error and subsequent actions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Once a nurse fills out an incident report after a medication error, the report is usually handed over to a supervisor or a designated person in the health care facility's risk management or quality improvement department. The report will not be part of the patient's medical record but will be used to understand the circumstances around the incident, make improvements, and prevent future errors. It is important for the nurse to include thorough information about the error and how it was addressed.
In addition to the submission, the nurse might review items aloud with the team, such as confirming that the name of the procedure has been recorded accurately, double-checking that the needle, sponge, and instrument counts are complete, ensuring the specimen is correctly labeled, and noting any issues with equipment that must be addressed.