Question

A medication error occurs in a hospital when a nurse mistakenly gives a patient the wrong medication. Which of the following should be done?

1) Inform the patient about the error and apologize
2) Report the error to the supervisor and document it
3) Monitor the patient for any adverse effects
4) Take disciplinary action against the nurse

Answer 1

When a medication error occurs, the healthcare provider must inform and apologize to the patient, report and document the error, and monitor the patient. Disciplinary action is pursued after an institutional review.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the event of a medication error like the one described, the correct steps to take would include: immediately informing the patient about the error and rendering an apology; reporting the error to the supervisor and ensuring it is well documented; and closely monitoring the patient for any adverse effects that might occur as a result of the wrong medication.

However, taking disciplinary action against the nurse is a more complex process dependent on the institution's policies and should be handled by the administration after a thorough investigation.

While patient safety is the immediate concern, handling the occurrence in a manner that fosters transparency, responsibility, and improvement of hospital practices is also vital. Healthcare facilities often have protocols to respond to such incidents, which include a root cause analysis to understand how the error happened. This can lead to system improvements that may prevent future errors. Disciplinary action, if any, typically comes after a comprehensive review and is aimed at being constructive rather than punitive, to maintain a culture of safety rather than one of blame.