Question

A nurse is working on a medical-surgical unit and receives a phone call from a physician who would like to give orders for a new patient. What should the nurse do to make the telephone order safer for the patient?

1) Refuse to accept the telephone order and request that the physician come to the unit to write the order.
2) Accept the order and perform a 'read back.'
3) Write down the telephone order as it is being given.
4) Accept the telephone order, but write it down later.
5) Ask another nurse to accept the telephone order.

Answer 1

To make the telephone order safer for the patient, the nurse should perform a 'read back' of the physician's order.

Step-by-step explanation:

To make the telephone order safer for the patient, the nurse should accept the order and perform a 'read back.' This involves repeating the physician's order back to the physician to ensure accuracy. By doing this, the nurse can confirm that they have understood the order correctly and reduce the risk of any misunderstandings or errors in patient care.