A patient from the first room complains of stomach-ache and requests painkillers. A nursing student reports to the nurse practitioner. The nurse administered the painkiller to the roommate of the complaining patient. The nurse chooses to document the medication for both patients since she will be in trouble if she does not. Should the nurse report the medication error? The story illustrates the need for nurses to always take responsibility for their acts, regardless of the possible results. Whether the outcome is favorable or unfavorable, they must constantly remember that their patients’ safety comes first. Since the nurse and their co-nurses would still be in a learning setting, it is preferable to come up with the truth instead of hiding behind it. The nurse should file a medication mistake report, contact the doctor, and alert her supervisor even if the patients are safe. If the circumstances had been different, the other patient might have suffered harm because nurses must consider several things when giving patients medication, especially abiding by the rules for drug administration, such as choosing the right patient.
The nurse in this situation must choose between being non-maleficent and being truthful by reporting what happened. The nurse might have caused the patient harm by not fulfilling his duty in the case of non-maleficence. The legal risks that nurses must consider are negligence and malpractice. The preceding action by the nurse is seen as negligent since the nurse disregarded the possibility that she would have caused a negative outcome for the patient if she had given him the wrong medication. It is malpractice since the nurse violated professional ethics by failing to verify the patient. The nurse should report the error to the doctor and supervisor. The doctor would then advise the patient to avoid any negative consequences. However, even if there were no negative effects, it would still be preferable to inform the doctor of what transpired. The supervisor would know how to handle this circumstance and offer feedback to the nurse.
In conclusion, it is preferable to be patient-centered rather than to consider and concentrate on the result for your advantage. Sometimes, people prefer to avoid issues rather than deal with them, which is a bad habit. Continuing to act this way would not help them develop as people, let alone as professionals. Human beings are bound by a code of ethics that keeps them from making mistakes and hurting others.