Question

A nurse is caring for a patient receiving intravenous drug therapy via an infusion pump. The pump continues to sound an alarm and the nurse is unsure if it is administering the drug correctly. Which of these is the correct course of action for the nurse to follow?

A. Continue to try to get the pump to work as to keep on schedule with the patient's drug therapy.
B. Discontinue the infusion, replace the pump with a functioning one and restart the infusion, and then label the broken pump and place it in a designated area for broken equipment.
C. Discontinue the infusion, replace the pump with a functioning one, and leave the malfunctioning pump outside of the patient's room for someone else to try.
D. Silence the alarm, continue the infusion, and watch the patient for signs of further problems.

Answer 1

The nurse should discontinue the infusion, replace the pump with a functioning one, and restart the infusion.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a nurse is caring for a patient receiving intravenous drug therapy via an infusion pump, and the pump continues to sound an alarm, there are specific actions that should be taken. The correct course of action for the nurse to follow is to discontinue the infusion, replace the pump with a functioning one and restart the infusion. It is important to label the broken pump and place it in a designated area for broken equipment.