A nurse intercepts a medication error before administration. What is the correct ethical and legal action?

• A. Report and document the error per policy and implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence while maintaining patient safety.
• B. Ignore and proceed
• C. Blame the nurse
• D. Withhold information from patient

Answer: (A)

When a medication error is intercepted, the priority is patient safety and accountability. The appropriate action is to report and document the error according to policy and to implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence while maintaining patient safety. Reporting through the proper channels, documenting what happened, and initiating or contributing to corrective steps shows commitment to transparency, quality improvement, and safeguarding the patient. This also helps identify system weaknesses (like similar error opportunities) so they can be addressed with changes in procedures, education, or verification processes. It may involve notifying the healthcare team, updating the chart, and following up with any needed patient communication to maintain trust and informed care. Actions that ignore the error, assign blame without looking at system issues, or withhold information from the patient compromise safety, erode trust, and can have legal repercussions.