Management of CareQuestion 334 of 2368
The nurse realizes a medication was given to the wrong client. Which action should the nurse take first?
- Write an incident report about the error before doing anything else
- Call the family of the client who received the medication right away
- Assess the client's condition and watch for effects of the medication
- Tell the nurse manager about the error at the end of the current shift
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Correct answer: Assess the client's condition and watch for effects of the medication
The first response is to monitor the client for side effects. Notifying the manager and provider and completing an incident report follow.
Source: Nursing Skills, 2nd edition (Open RN, Chippewa Valley Technical College, 2023), Administration of Enteral Medications: Reporting Medication Errors. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Practice the topic "Management of Care"Questions last reviewed: 18 October 2026