Which of the following demonstrates ethical reporting of a medication error?
1. The nurse does not report the error, because the error was caught and corrected prior to drug administration.
2. The nurse does not report or document the error, since the error did not result in any harm to the patient.
3. The nurse reports the error to the physician and the charge nurse but does not document the error due to possible legal action.
4. The nurse informs the patient, documents the error as per hospital policy, and notifies the physician.
Correct Answer: 4
Rationale: The nurse should report and document all medication errors whether the patient was harmed or not. It is essential to report and document medication errors to identify possible system failures, even when the error is caught prior to administration or has potential for legal action.
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