The nurse is preparing to administer medication to a pediatric patient. Which essential safety action should the nurse take prior to administration?

Verify dosage based on weight calculation.

Make sure that the medication has a barcode.

Have a glass of water at the bedside.

Ask the child if they have taken this medication before.

Answer and Explanation

The Correct Answer is A

A. Verify dosage based on weight calculation. This is the most critical safety action, as pediatric dosages are often weight-based to prevent overdosing or underdosing, ensuring the child's safety and the medication's efficacy.

B. Make sure that the medication has a barcode. While barcode scanning is important to verify the correct medication, it is a secondary action compared to ensuring the correct dosage based on weight.

C. Have a glass of water at the bedside. While having water available can be helpful, especially for oral medications, it is not a critical safety action. The focus should be on the correct dosage.

D. Ask the child if they have taken this medication before. While it can be useful to know a child's previous experience with a medication, this is not a priority safety action compared to verifying the correct dose.

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Correct Answer is C

Explanation

A. Call the health-care provider to see if intravenous fluids are needed: This is not usually necessary unless the patient has a condition that requires it. It's more important to ensure NPO status is maintained.

B. Increase fluid intake prior to midnight to make sure the patient remains hydrated: This could be done, but it is less important than ensuring the patient follows the NPO instructions.

C. Remove the patient's water pitcher at the bedside shortly before midnight: This is the correct answer. Removing the pitcher helps prevent the patient from accidentally drinking water and violating NPO status.

D. This is an example of a STAT order and should be documented in the patient's chart: NPO orders are not STAT orders; they are routine orders related to the preparation for a procedure.

A. Notify the charge nurse that patients may have received inappropriate medication dosages. B. Evaluate the laboratory values of each patient to determine liver and kidney function as a possible reason for decreased dosages C. Do not worry about the discrepancy because this is not the nurse's unit. D. Call the nursing supervisor to investigate the nurse's concerns.

Correct Answer is B

Explanation

A. Notify the charge nurse that patients may have received inappropriate medication dosages.
Jumping to conclusions about inappropriate dosages without first investigating the rationale for the dosing is premature and could cause unnecessary alarm.

B. Evaluate the laboratory values of each patient to determine liver and kidney function as a possible reason for decreased dosages. Lower dosages are often prescribed for older adults due to decreased liver and kidney function, which can affect drug metabolism and excretion. Evaluating lab values ensures that these dosages are appropriate and safe.

C. Do not worry about the discrepancy because this is not the nurse's unit.
Ignoring the discrepancy is not appropriate, as it’s important for all nurses to advocate for patient safety, regardless of the unit.

D. Call the nursing supervisor to investigate the nurse's concerns.
The nursing supervisor may need to be involved, but the first step is to review the relevant clinical data (lab values) to assess the situation.

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The nurse is preparing to administer medication to a pediatric patient. Which essential safety action should the nurse take prior to administration?

Nursing Test Bank

Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams

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