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A nurse is preparing to administer a piggyback infusion to a client. The unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) enters the room and informs the nurse another client is requesting immediate assistance. Which action will the nurse perform?

Instruct the UAP to finish connecting the medication

Continue to administer the medication to the client

Leave the medication hanging on the client's IV pole

Store the solution bag in the medication cart

User Stevan
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

The nurse should either leave the medication on the IV pole (option 3) if already connected, or store it in the medication cart (option 4) , ensuring safety and sterility, as UAPs cannot administer medication.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a nurse is preparing to administer a piggyback infusion and another client requires immediate assistance, the nurse must make a decision based on patient safety and nursing scope of practice. Administering medication and monitoring patient reactions is within the scope of licensed nursing staff, not unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP). Therefore, the nurse should not instruct the UAP to finish connecting the medication.



If the situation requires the nurse to attend to the other client immediately, the safest action would be to either leave the medication hanging on the client's IV pole if she has already connected it, or to store the solution bag in a secure area, such as the medication cart, if the piggyback has not been connected. The nurse must ensure the solution and IV setup maintain sterility and are secure from tampering or misuse.

User Siddhartha Reddy
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