Question

Dr. Williams is in between patients and orders Marissa the medical assistant to administer a DPT injection for the patient in room 1. Marissa checks the chart and the order is not there, what should she do?

A) Administer the medication as ordered by the physician.
B) Write the order as a verbal order and have the physician sign it later.
C) Take the chart to the physician and have him write the order before administering the medication.
D) Ask the office manager to write the order since the physician is busy.

Answer 1

Marissa should take the chart to Dr. Williams and have him write the order for the DPT injection before proceeding with the administration to maintain patient safety and legal compliance. The correct answer for the question is option (C).

Step-by-step explanation:

When Marissa, the medical assistant, checks the chart and discovers that the order for a DPT injection is not there, the correct course of action would be option C): Take the chart to the physician and have him write the order before administering the medication. It is crucial in medical practice to ensure that all medication orders are documented properly before administration to safeguard patient safety and maintain legal and professional compliance. Option B) is not appropriate because it is not within the medical assistant's scope of practice to write orders for medications, even as verbal orders to be signed later. Option A) disregards the importance of having a written order and could pose serious risks. Option D) is incorrect because an office manager is not qualified to write medical orders.