The home health nurse is providing palliative care to a client. When sorting the client's narcotic pain medications for the week, the nurse notes that there is two weeks' worth of medication missing from the client's current prescription
The client says that the only individuals with access to the medication include the client and one other home healthcare nurse. The nurse suspects that the other home healthcare nurse took the missing mediation. Which action by the nurse is appropriate?
A) Call the state board of nursing.
B) Tell the client to confront the other nurse.
C) Call the authorities immediately.
D) Have the client file a police report.
Answer: A
Nurses have a legal responsibility to report any professional whom they suspect of engaging in illegal, immoral, or unethical activities. Normally, the nurse making such a report will do so following established procedures at the facility at which the nurse is employed. A nurse who suspects another nurse of impairment should also follow guidelines set forth by the board of nursing for the state in which he or she works. At other times, the nurse may need to seek the guidance of the state board of nursing or the American Nurses Association (ANA). A nurse who suspects a colleague of engaging in illegal, immoral, or unethical conduct and fails to act is in direct violation of the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses
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