Examkin

Question

Difficulty: EasyPharmacological Therapies

During morning rounds, a practical nurse (PN) enters a client's room with their prescribed oral medications. To ensure safe practice, which action must the PN take to confirm the client's identity before handing them the pills?

  1. Ask the client to state their full name and date of birth while checking their identification band.Answer
  2. B
    State the client's name out loud and wait for them to verbally agree before proceeding.
  3. C
    Compare the name on the medication label directly with the room and bed number.
  4. D
    Rely on visual recognition to confirm identity since the PN cared for the same client on the previous shift.

Answer

Ask the client to state their full name and date of birth while checking their identification band.
The correct action demonstrates strict adherence to the 'Right Client' principle of medication administration. Safe practice requires verifying at least two distinct, acceptable client identifiers (such as the client's full name, date of birth, or medical record number) before giving any medication.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Recall the rights of medication administration, specifically the 'Right Client' principle.
The standard protocol requires using at least two acceptable patient identifiers before administration.
This foundational safety check prevents medication errors caused by mistaken identity.
2
Evaluate each option against safe identification standards.
Only asking for the client's full name and date of birth meets the two-identifier requirement.
Room numbers, yes/no questions, and visual recognition are explicitly forbidden as primary identifiers.

Key Concept

Rights of Medication Administration: Right Client
Rate this question

Topics

Pharmacological Therapies

More questions from this topic