Case Study: Medications
A. You are a nurse caring for a 47-year-old patient who is homeless. He is admitted to your unit two to three times per year. His medical history includes diabetes mellitus (type 2), hypertension, and alcoholism. After extensive hygienic interventions (to decrease his body odor, wash his hair, and perform oral care), you complete your assessment and find that he is not in compliance with any of his dietary and medication instructions from his last admission.
- Considering his history, what types of medications would you expect to be ordered?
- Outline the patient variables that could impact the action of these medications.
- Indicate the components of an acceptable medication order.
- Describe acceptable practice when nurses are ordered to dispense a medication with which they are unfamiliar.
- How would you identify that patient before dispensing his ordered medication?
- What measures would you take if the patient refused his oral medications because he didn't like the taste?
B. You are a nurse preparing a medication safety presentation for your unit's monthly staff meeting. The focus of the presentation is avoiding medication errors and the necessary due diligence for every member of the nursing staff.
- When can medication errors occur?
- Which classes of medications are more typically connected to medication errors?
- Outline the appropriate label check opportunities.
- What "rights" should be monitored to ensure accurate medication administration?
- Describe how often nurses should check medication data to protect their patients.
- Indicate the additional information you would expect to document upon administering a narcotic medication.
- What steps are pertinent to administering medications via GI tube to maintain patient comfort and safety?
- Outline precautions necessary to prevent needlesticks.