Question

During a 24-hour chart revlew of a client in acute renal failure, the nurse notices that a prescription, written 12 hours ago for every 6 hours serum potasslum levels, was not transcribed by the previous shift. Which is the best immediate action for the nurse to take?

a. Order the lab work as prescribed and follow procedures for completing an incident report.
b. Telephone the nurse responsible for the error at home to report the omission of the transcription.
c. Call the healthcare provider and ask if the prescription is still needed since 12 hours have elapsed since it was written.
d. Notify the nursing supervisor of the previous shift's omission in not transcribing the prescription.

Answer 1

The best action is to order the lab work as prescribed for the patient with acute renal failure and then complete an incident report to document the missed prescription transcription.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a nurse discovers that a prescription for serum potassium levels has not been transcribed by the previous shift, the best immediate action to take is to order the lab work as prescribed and follow procedures for completing an incident report. This ensures that the patient's care is not compromised and the healthcare team is made aware of the error so that steps can be taken to prevent future omissions.

Contacting the healthcare provider is not the most immediate action as it may cause further delay, and contacting the nurse responsible for the error at home is not appropriate as it does not address the patient's immediate needs. Notifying the supervisor is a subsequent step after attending to the patient's needs.