A registered nurse in the United States smells alcohol on a coworker's breath just before the coworker begins medication administration. What should the nurse do first?
Correct answer: C. Prevent immediate patient risk and notify the supervisor
- A. Ignore the smell unless an error occurs
- B. Privately ask the coworker to finish the medication pass
- C. Prevent immediate patient risk and notify the supervisor
- D. Post a warning about the coworker on social media
Explanation
The nurse must protect patients from immediate harm and promptly report suspected impairment through the appropriate chain of command. Waiting for an error or handling the matter through social media fails to address the safety risk.
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About US Legal and Ethical Nursing Practice
US nursing law and ethics include state nurse practice acts, scope of practice, standards of care, negligence, malpractice, documentation, confidentiality under HIPAA and informed consent. Ethical reasoning applies autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice and fidelity to conflicts such as refusal of treatment, advance directives, privacy breaches and mandatory reporting, which are not the same as legal liability.
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