Share This Link

8: Eight cups equal 1/2 gallon or 4 pints, not 1 pint.

6: Six cups do not correspond to any standard conversion involving pints.

4: Four cups equal 1 quart, which is double the volume of 1 pint.

0.5 gtts: Half a drop is not a measurable or standard unit.

1.5 gtts: This conversion underestimates the standard drop factor used for most droppers.

5 gtts: Five drops typically equal 1/3 mL, not 1 mL.

All previous medication errors: The MAR does not contain a record of prior medication errors; this information is found in incident reports or quality assurance logs.

The name of the pharmacist who prepared the medication: The MAR lists medications ordered and administered, not the individual pharmacist responsible for dispensing them.

Orders for therapy: Although the MAR may reflect therapeutic orders indirectly, its primary purpose is to guide safe and accurate medication administration.

Determine your opinion of the best route for giving the medications: The nurse must always follow the prescribed route as ordered by the healthcare provider to ensure therapeutic effectiveness and patient safety.

Chart all the medications given for the day at one time: Medications should be documented immediately after administration, not in bulk, to prevent omissions or duplications.

Chart medications before administering them: Documenting before administration can lead to serious errors if the medication is withheld or refused by the patient.

Anaphylaxis: Anaphylaxis is a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction characterized by airway swelling, hypotension, and rash, not behavioral changes.

Potentiation: Potentiation refers to one drug enhancing the effect of another, not an opposite or unexpected response to a single drug.

Medication toxicity: Toxicity involves harmful accumulation or overdose symptoms, usually physical rather than behavioral agitation.

Going to lunch: Leaving the patient after a medication error delays timely assessment and intervention, increasing risk of harm.

Finishing documentation for other patients: Prioritizing other tasks before assessing the affected patient neglects immediate safety responsibilities.

Calling the nurse's lawyer: Legal consultation is not the priority in a patient care emergency; clinical action must come first.

At the nurses' station while reviewing the provider's prescription: This is part of the preparation process but not the final safety check before administration.

At the time of documentation: Documentation occurs after administration, not before, and cannot prevent an error.

In the medication storage room: This is an early preparation step and does not confirm client identity or final accuracy at the point of administration.

"I'll go and give the medication to the client right away.": Administering a medication prepared by another nurse violates the safety principle of preparing and giving only drugs you personally prepare.

"Go with me to identify the client properly, and then I'll give the medication for you.": Even with proper identification, administering another nurse’s prepared medication remains unsafe and against policy.

"I'll go help with the emergency situation while you administer the medication.": This response ignores the medication safety issue and shifts responsibility away from proper nursing protocol.

IM: Means intramuscular, indicating injection into a muscle.

PR: Means per rectum, used for medications administered via the rectal route.

IV: Means intravenous, indicating administration directly into a vein.

Administer the medication twice a day and as needed: Giving medication without clarification risks overdose or underdose due to unclear dose range.

Talk to the unit secretary on the floor who is good at reading the physician's handwriting: Only the prescriber can legally clarify or change an order, not clerical staff.

Consult a pharmacist to interpret the order: While pharmacists can offer guidance, they cannot confirm intent; the prescriber must clarify the specific dose and frequency.