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A nurse is teaching a newly licensed nurse about incident reports. Which of the following statements by the newly licensed nurse indicates an understanding of the teaching?

a. "I should place a copy of an incident report in the client's medical record."
b. "I should document the completion of an incident report in the client's medical record."
c. "I should complete an incident report for an unexpected client occurrence."
d. "I should ask the risk manager to complete the incident reports."

User Malartre
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

The correct handling of incident reports involves filling out a report for unexpected occurrences but not including it or referencing it in the client's medical record. The responsibility for completing an incident report typically falls to the healthcare professional who witnessed or was involved in the incident.

Step-by-step explanation:

When dealing with incident reports in a healthcare setting, it is crucial to understand their purpose and how to properly complete and manage them. An incident report is used for an unexpected client occurrence, such as a fall or medication error, and is a tool for improving patient safety by identifying risks and preventing future incidents. The correct statement that indicates an understanding of how to handle incident reports is, "I should complete an incident report for an unexpected client occurrence."

It is important to remember that incident reports are not part of the client’s medical record and should not be mentioned or filed there. This process is internal and is used by the healthcare facility to improve quality of care. The risk manager or a member of the healthcare team may review the incident reports to understand what happened, but it is not their sole responsibility to complete them; the person directly involved with or witnessing the incident should fill out the report.

User Reilstein
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