Final answer:
A difference between a physician's order and what is administered by nursing staff is called a medication error. This is a healthcare term that indicates a mistake in prescription, dispensing, or administration of a medication with potential serious patient health impacts.
Step-by-step explanation:
A discrepancy between what the physician ordered and what the nursing staff administered to a resident is called a medication error. This term is used in healthcare to indicate a mistake in the prescription, dispensing, or administration process of a medication. Such errors can include administration of the wrong medication, the incorrect dosage, or administering a medication at the wrong time. Medication errors can have serious implications for patient health and safety, and thus they are an important focus of quality improvement initiatives in medical practice.