A nurse on a medical-surgical unit is evaluating an assistive personnel’s use of infection control precautions. Which of the following actions by the AP indicates correct use of the precautions?

A. Continue the medication dosages that relieve the client’s pain:
Opioids and benzodiazepines are commonly used for pain and anxiety management in terminally ill patients. Somnolence is an expected side effect and does not necessarily warrant withholding medication unless the client shows signs of respiratory depression.

B. Contact the provider about replacing the opioid with an NSAID: NSAIDs are not sufficient for severe pain in terminal illness. Opioids are the gold standard for palliative pain management, and switching to an NSAID would likely lead to uncontrolled pain and unnecessary suffering.

C. Administer the benzodiazepine but withhold the opioid: This would leave the client in severe pain, which is unethical in hospice care. Pain relief should not be withheld solely due to sedation.

D. Withhold the benzodiazepine but continue the opioid: Benzodiazepines are often used to relieve anxiety, dyspnea, and agitation in end-of-life care. Withholding it could cause increased distress for the client. Instead of discontinuing the medication, the nurse should monitor for respiratory depression and adjust doses only if necessary.

A.Documenting the time of the error is important for accurately recording when the event happened and for assessing potential impacts on patient care.

B.Including specific details about the medication involved and the dosage is crucial for understanding the nature of the error and for evaluating its potential consequences.

C.Incident reports are confidential and should not be copied for personal records. They are used for internal review and quality improvement purposes and should be handled according to the facility's policies on confidentiality.

D.The incident report should not be placed in the client’s medical record. It is a separate document intended for internal use and quality improvement, not part of the client’s clinical record.

E.No order from the provider is needed to complete an incident report. The report is a standard procedure for documenting and analyzing errors and is part of the facility's protocol for ensuring patient safety.