I once had a patient who was on a regimen of 50mg metoprolol twice a day. The patient's condition deteriorated and it was no longer safe to administer PO meds. We didn't have an NG tube in place at that time but we needed to administer that metoprolol ASAP
I messaged the nurse practionner and asked if we could modify to IV metoprol and she responded "Sure, we can just switch to 50 mg IV metoprolol BID"
I asked "Are you sure you want 50 mg IV metoprolol BID?" and she responded "Yes!". I then said "Typically I have seen 2.5mg or 5mg IV metoprolol orders, do you want to start with 5mg?". Not sure if she realized her mistake, but she then said "Yeah, let's do 5mg."
What could have happened if I had just told myself "well, the provider ordered it, so that's what I'm giving."?
A prudent nurse should be familiar with typical medication dosages and if unsure, always check with pharmacy. Had I neglected to verify the order with the provider I would have administered 10 times the recommended dose. What could have been the outcome? I don't think I would like to know.
Attorneys, how easily can you recognize medication errors in your chart reviews?
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My name is Dorcas Mukendi and I bring 6+ years of nursing experience in various specialties. I help bridge the gap between the medical and legal worlds. Let's connect and discuss how my legal nurse consulting services can help you!
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