What Should the Nurse Do?
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Nurse Moa is taking care of Mr. Henley. He has diabetes, asthma, a wound on his left lower leg, a toothache that started last night, and a history of occasional chest pain. While in the hospital, he is upset that he must see so many doctors and nurses. “Why can’t one doctor take care of me? Isn’t that what a hospital is for?” he argues. What should the nurse say?
A new nurse is drawing up a patient’s insulin. The patient needs 4 units of insulin based on their blood glucose level. When their preceptor checks the insulin, they realize that the new nurse has drawn up 4 mL of insulin (400 times the proper dose) in a regular syringe. The preceptor swapped out the insulin for the correct dose, and the patient was administered the correct dose.
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What kind of situation is this known as?
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Should the new nurse be punished? Why or why not?
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What else should the preceptor do with this new nurse?
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A patient has just requested some as-needed pain medication. It is close to the end of his shift, but the nurse, Bruce, did not want to leave it for the next shift. He went and pulled the pain medication out of the Pyxis, the automated machine that dispenses controlled medications. He drew the medication into a needleless syringe and put the packaging in his pocket. However, he was in a hurry. Rather than scanning the patient’s wristband, then scanning the medication to ensure it was the correct medication, and then giving the medication, he scanned the patient’s wristband and gave the medication, then returned to the computer to scan the medication into the system. When he scanned the medication, it was the wrong dose of pain medication. Instead of giving the patient 2 mg of morphine, Bruce gave the patient 4 mg of morphine. What should the nurse do?