I let the patient took his medications without water. Is this a medication error?

[leenmei]

The patient is a 47 year old male with complaint of chest pain. I asked the patient if he can take the medicine without water and he said yes. I placed him on a sitting position before giving the oral meds. Unfortunately, There was no available water at the area at that time so I couldnt give him water. I was also attending to other patient that's why I couldnt leave the floor. When the patient's wife arrived I asked her to buy some water for the patient. The patient is still in a good condition. But the wife made a complaint letter indicating the purpose is not to demerit someone but to improve the services of the hospital. This incident happened 3months ago and I think this is for investigation and I don't know how to defend myself. I am truly sorry for what happened.

[JBudd, MSN]

I was at a third world hospital, where you had to have family go buy an angiocath, tubing and the bottle of saline, & bring it all in for a nurse to be able to place an IV.

[Wuzzie]

I think then the poster needs to specify that they are not in the US. That would give us a better understanding.

In my experience nurses in countries who do not have the same luxuries we do aren't usually aware of how difficult they actually have it. It wouldn't even cross their minds that their situation was unusual and requiring explanation. Although I AM keenly interested in where the OP is from.

[Sour Lemon]

I wish the OP would come back to clarify. I now find myself wondering if someone would write a complaint letter about something so minor if they were, in fact, in a third world country ...and if a nurse would be worried about that type of complaint if they didn't do anything unusual.

[HalfBoiled, BSN, RN]

The short answer to your question is no. Not a med error.

Seems like other posters are going off topic.