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Difficulty: EasyPharmacological Therapies

A practical nurse is preparing to administer scheduled morning medications to an alert and oriented client. The unit's electronic barcode scanner is temporarily out of service. Which of the following actions should the practical nurse take to properly verify the client's identity?

  1. Ask the client to state their full name and date of birth while checking their identification band.Answer
  2. B
    Verify the client's room number and bed assignment against the medication administration record.
  3. C
    Address the client by their name and administer the medications if the client responds affirmatively.
  4. D
    Request that the registered nurse (RN) administer the medications until the electronic scanning equipment is repaired.

Answer

Ask the client to state their full name and date of birth while checking their identification band.
When an electronic barcode scanner is malfunctioning, the practical nurse is legally and ethically bound to manually execute the 'Right Client' check. This requires asking the alert client to actively state two unique identifiers—most commonly their full name and date of birth—and comparing this information against both the client's physical identification band and the medication administration record.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the clinical challenge presented in the scenario.
The nurse needs to safely identify the client for medication administration without the use of an electronic barcode scanner.
Technology failures require nurses to fall back on manual safety standards to prevent errors.
2
Recall the medication administration standard for client identification.
The standard requires using two distinct, acceptable identifiers (e.g., full name, date of birth, medical record number).
Relying on a single identifier or inappropriate identifiers increases the risk of a medication error.
3
Evaluate the options to find the one that meets the standard.
Asking the client to actively state their full name and date of birth while cross-referencing their ID band is the only option that utilizes two proper identifiers.
This guarantees the right medication is given to the right client.

Key Concept

Six Rights of Medication Administration: Right Client Verification
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Pharmacological Therapies

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