The nurse has received a telephone prescription from the primary healthcare provider (PHCP) for citalopram 10 mg PO daily. Which action is the nurse's priority while taking the telephone order?
The nurse has received a telephone prescription from the primary healthcare provider (PHCP) for citalopram 10 mg PO daily. Which action is the nurse's priority while taking the telephone order?
A. Verify that the medication is in stock
[1%]
B. Read back the prescription to the PHCP
[95%]
C. Inform the client of the new prescription
[1%]
D. Transmit the prescription to the pharmacy
[2%]
Statistics
Subject/Lesson
Subject
Leadership & Management
Lesson
Ethical/Legal
Client Need
Test Plan
Management of Care
Related Topic
Establishing Priorities
Item Type
Item Type
Analysis
Explanation
Choice B is correct. It is essential that the nurse read back the order to the PHCP to ensure that the prescription telephone order is accurate. Any verbal or telephone order from a PHCP requires the nurse read back the order to verify that the order was accurate. Telephone and verbal orders may result in medication errors because of accents, background noise, etc., that may distort communication.
Choices A, C, and D are incorrect. All of these actions are relevant to taking a prescribed order, but maintaining client safety through effective and clear communication is the responsibility of all healthcare professionals. The nurse should always ensure accuracy with verbal and telephone orders because of their increased risk for error.
Related Videos
2 Key Topics
Receiving/Transcribing Orders
15.1 Documentation, Consent & Information Systems
Additional Info
✓ Timely medication reconciliation is fundamental in the prevention of medication errors
✓ Medication reconciliation is when the client's medications are inventoried and assessed for interactions, duplications, or omissions
✓ Completing a medication reconciliation at admission, a transition of care, and discharge will identify potentially dangerous drug-to-drug interactions
✓ Verbal and telephone errors are significant sources of medication errors
✓ The nurse should limit these types of orders to emergent situations
✓ These methods are discouraged because accents, dialects, and drug name pronunciations may skew the order
