The patient is having chest pain. The physician orders sublingual nitroglycerine STAT. The nurse obtains the medication from the pharmacy and administers it to the patient 30 minutes later. Which statement best describes the nurse's action?
1. The medication should have been administered immediately.
2. The physician should have specified the time frame for the medication.
3. The medication should have been administered within a 5-minute time frame.
4. The nursing action was correct because the medication was not on the unit.
Correct Answer: 3
Rationale: For a STAT order, the time frame between writing the order and administering the drug should be 5 minutes or less. Not having a drug on the unit is not an excuse, as commonly ordered STAT medications should be kept in stock. Although the drug does not need to be administered immediately, it should be done within 5 minutes. It is not the physician's responsibility to specify the time frame.
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