Case Study 3 Patient Safety

Discuss three patient safety issues that are present in the scenario.

1) Sara signed off medications on the MAR but she did not actually witness the patient taking the prescribed medications.

2) Sara left the medications unattended at the bedside. This is a careless practice. She should have carried them back to the nurse’s station and reattempted to administer the meds after the patient finished bathing.

3) Unexpected change in the patient’s vital signs. The scenario reports there has been a significate rise in blood pressure and heart rate. The confused patient reports no distress but now she has the potential to become symptomatic if the vitals keep trending up.

Even though Sara is reluctant to report the error in fear that it may prolong her probation, she needs to report the incident to the immediate supervisor and the provider. Some factors that can influence medication administration include patient acuity, staffing levels, shift length, and workloads. Nurses need to adhere to the “seven rights” when preparing and dispensing medications. Furthermore, nurses should feel compelled to use an evidence-based approach in collecting data to make decisions in their practice considering human lives at risk (Marquis & Huston, 2017).

Propose two solutions the nurse manager could consider.
It also takes time for a new nurse to adjust to the professional role. The manager must gather data carefully and understands that no mechanisms or tool is infallible to human error and obtaining information always involves people (Marquis & Huston, 2017). Since Sara has been practicing and giving medications independently, the manager should follow up with Sara’s preceptor to assess her clinical based orientation competencies. Also, determine if Sara followed policies, procedures, and protocols in regards to medication administration of the