As a nurse who is in charge of giving patients different medications, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. While you have a system that details out the patient’s prescriptions, you also have to manage multiple people, emergencies and patient requests all at once.
It is possible that you could face disciplinary action if you fail to deliver medication to the right patient on time. If you mix up the prescriptions, your license could be put at risk.
Mixing up patients: Accidental but potentially harmful
In most cases, giving the wrong prescription to a patient is unintentional. You may have been busy or had a problem with a patient that flustered you or that disrupted what you were doing. It is, however, your job to get each patient the correct medications. Failing to do this could lead to accusations of negligence. That negligence could threaten your license.
Nurses are human. They make mistakes and may walk into the wrong room or pick up the wrong prescriptions. The most important thing you can do is to stick closely to your schedule and read the reminders that come up through the electronic system. This system will help you see when patients’ medications are due and have the list of medications as well so that you are less likely to make a mistake.
If you realize you made an error, you should contact the pharmacy and the patient’s main medical provider right away. If the patient complains, you may need to defend your license against allegations of negligence. Our website has more information about what to do if your error could lead to harsh discipline.
