Fundamentals of Nursing Q 482
The nurse must verify the client’s identity before administration of medication. Which of the following is the safest way to identify the client?
A. Ask the client his name.
B. Check the client’s identification band.
C. State the client’s name aloud and have the client repeat it.
D. Check the room number.
Correct Answer: B. Check the client’s identification band
The identification band is the safest way to know the identity of a patient whether he is conscious or unconscious. Nurses have a unique role and responsibility in medication administration, in that they are frequently the final person to check to see that the medication is correctly prescribed and dispensed before administration.
Option A: Ask the client his name only after you have checked his ID band. Right patient’ – ascertaining that a patient being treated is, in fact, the correct recipient for whom medication was prescribed. This is best practiced by nurses directly asking a patient to provide his or her full name aloud, checking medical wristbands if appropriate for matching name and ID number as on a chart.
Option C: It is advisable not to address patients by first name or surname alone, in the event, there are two or more patients with identical or similar names in a unit. Depending on the unit that a patient may be in, some patients, such as psychiatric patients, may not wear wristbands or may have altered mentation to the point where they are unable to identify themselves correctly. In these instances, nurses are advised to confirm a patient’s identity through alternative means with appropriate due diligence.
Option D: The medical literature states that the value of nurses’ critical thinking, the role of patient advocacy, and clinical judgment are not accounted for by the five rights framework that is commonly observed in modern practice to deliver patient-centered care. Research has shown a clear benefit in the value of nursing experience as it relates to decision-making capability; however, it states that further studies are necessary to achieve an improved understanding of how nurses apply intuition, the context of the situation, and interpretation.