Med Errors

[UM Review RN, ASN, RN]

OK, so you're working along and you come across an error made by your fellow nurse. Let's say it's an omitted dose. Maybe the med was given, maybe it wasn't, but you can't tell because it wasn't signed off.

Do you report it every single time?

[florianslove]

No, especially if it wasn't a critical med. I always ask the nurse first. Sometimes they just forgot to sign the MAR. None of us are perfect, I would give the nurse the benefit of the doubt.

Roxann

[FireStarterRN, BSN, RN]

Very rarely. It's too much trouble and causes bad feelings among co-workers. Would normally call the nurse at home after researching on a missed dose.

[labcat01, BSN, RN]

No, especially if it wasn't a critical med. I always ask the nurse first. Sometimes they just forgot to sign the MAR. None of us are perfect, I would give the nurse the benefit of the doubt.

Roxann

Ditto

[tngranny]

Ditto

[morte, LPN, LVN]

i would get writers cramp and so would the nurses following me......somewhat facetious, but not entirely

[nursalicious]

No, especially if it wasn't a critical med. I always ask the nurse first. Sometimes they just forgot to sign the MAR. None of us are perfect, I would give the nurse the benefit of the doubt.

Roxann

I totally agree.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

I would rather discuss it with the nurse first. There are so many distractions that can occur within the minute preventing instant charting that it is not worth ruining my relationships with these people to report it if it can be solved. I would also want the same to be done for me, so, I 'do unto others'.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

No, no, no.

[StNeotser, ASN, RN]

If it's a hole in the MAR I normally can speak to the nurse who should have signed it off and say By the by, I noticed you didn't sign off so and so's coumadin. Then the balls in their court.

[sissiesmama, ASN, RN]

Very rarely. It's too much trouble and causes bad feelings among co-workers. Would normally call the nurse at home after researching on a missed dose.

Me too. Like FS said, it causes bad feelings amongst us, and if there were a way that I could call them or do a little checking and find the answer, I would rather go thatt route. As nurses our job is difficult just keeping our patients safe and on the right track, and docs happy, and supervisors and family ...

If it were something that would have to be documented, I'll do it - but a lot of times your shift is just so busy and if you have a patient or two crashing on you, something just goes without getting documented.

Kind of the "do unto others", if I were the nurse, I would appreciate the chance to say that I gave it.

Anne, RNC

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

oops . .. I voted before reading the first post. I thought the poll was about whether I report MY own med errors and I voted that I always report them.

If I find an omitted dose or something by another nurse, I go to that nurse first.

steph