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Question

Difficulty: MediumAccident, Error, and Injury Prevention

A practical nurse is preparing to administer a scheduled oral liquid medication to a 2-year-old toddler. Upon approaching the child in the unit's playroom, the nurse notices the child is not wearing an identification band. The parents have temporarily left the unit and are not present. Which action must the nurse take to prevent a medication error?

  1. Verify the child's identity with another licensed nurse familiar with the client, then apply a new identification band before administration.Answer
  2. B
    Ask the toddler to state their first and last name to confirm their identity against the medication administration record.
  3. C
    Take the child to their assigned hospital room and confirm that the bed number matches the medical chart.
  4. D
    Administer the medication while the child is occupied with toys, then immediately request a new identification band.

Answer

The correct action is to verify the child's identity with another licensed nurse familiar with the client, then apply a new identification band before administration.
Safe medication administration requires the verification of two distinct client identifiers. When an infant or toddler loses their identification band and a parent or guardian is not present, the safest protocol is to have a coworker who is familiar with the client (such as the primary nurse or charge nurse) visually verify the child's identity. Once verified, a new identification band must be placed on the child before the medication is administered to ensure continuous safety compliance.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Recognize the absence of an identification band.
The nurse identifies that standard medication safety checks cannot be performed on the toddler.
Two acceptable client identifiers are required prior to any medication administration.
2
Evaluate the available resources for client identification.
The nurse determines that the child cannot self-identify due to their developmental age, and parents are not present.
Toddlers do not possess the cognitive ability to reliably confirm their full name.
3
Implement an alternative, safe identification protocol.
The nurse utilizes another licensed staff member who knows the child to verify their identity.
Peer verification by a knowledgeable licensed nurse is an accepted standard when primary identification methods are unavailable.
4
Restore standard safety measures.
A new identification band is applied to the child.
A physical identification band must be in place to scan or check against the medication administration record before giving the dose.

Key Concept

Client Identification and Medication Safety
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Topics

Accident, Error, and Injury Prevention

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