A practical nurse (PN) working the night shift on a medical-surgical unit observes a colleague exhibiting slurred speech, an unsteady gait, and the smell of alcohol on their breath while preparing to administer scheduled intravenous medications. Arrange the following actions the PN must take in the correct order of priority.
- 1Intervene immediately to prevent the colleague from administering the medications.
- 2Notify the nursing supervisor or charge nurse regarding the objective observations.
- 3Ensure the colleague's assigned clients are transferred to another qualified nurse.
- 4Document the objective findings and actions taken in a facility incident report.
Cevap
The correct priority sequence is: first, intervene to stop the colleague from giving medications; second, notify the nursing supervisor; third, ensure the colleague's clients are safely reassigned; and fourth, document the incident in a facility report.
In any ethical or legal dilemma involving suspected impaired practice, the nurse's first duty is to protect the client from immediate harm. Therefore, stopping the impaired colleague from administering medications is the first mandatory step. Next, the nurse must activate the chain of command by notifying the nursing supervisor, who has the authority to formally remove the colleague from the clinical area. Once the colleague is removed, the team must ensure that the colleague's clients receive continuous, safe care through reassignment. Finally, an objective, factual incident report is completed to document the event legally.
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Anahtar Kavram
Mandatory reporting and management of impaired nursing practice