Question

A patient's Medication Administration Record (MAR) lists two PO medications that are due at 0900, but the patient is NPO for a barium study that morning. The nurse's coworker suggests giving the medications via IV because the patient is NPO. What should the nurse do?

a) Administer the medications via IV as suggested.
b) Call the physician to clarify the instructions.
c) Hold the medications until after the barium study.
d) Give the medications orally.

Answer 1

The nurse should contact the prescribing physician to clarify instructions regarding the oral medications due at 0900 when the patient is NPO for a barium study, rather than administering them via IV as suggested by a coworker. Different routes of administration require a physician's order due to differences in medication effects.

Step-by-step explanation:

If the patient's Medication Administration Record (MAR) indicates that they are scheduled to receive two PO (orally administered) medications at 0900, but the patient is NPO (nothing by mouth) for a barium study, the nurse should not administer the medications via IV without a physician's order. Instead, the nurse should b Call the physician to clarify the instructions, as medication routes are not interchangeable and converting from PO to IV could result in variations in medication effects and side effects. Additionally, the pharmacokinetics of the medication could change, leading to either subtherapeutic or toxic levels.

It is the nurse's responsibility to ensure safe and effective medication administration. Therefore, it is crucial for the nurse to verify any unclear or potentially unsafe orders with the prescribing physician. In the case where medications cannot be given orally due to the patient's NPO status, the physician may provide alternative instructions, such as a different route of administration, holding the medications, or rescheduling the medication timing.