How would you safely identify the medications on the set-up? Provide rationales to explain why you believe your actions are important
You have ‘scrubbed-in' to take over the instrument nurse role for a patient undergoing a complex breast reconstruction involving a latissimus dorsi free flap. The procedure is at the mid-way point when you scrub in. The instrumentation set-up has multiple receivers (i.e. gallipots) and syringes containing a variety of fluids, which your colleague identifies as local anaesthetic, heparinised saline and adrenaline solutions. None of the containers or syringes is labelled.
What will be an ideal response?
Answer:
Use sterile medication labels on all containers and syringes as required by the national recommendations for user-applied labelling of injectable medicines, fluids and lines. Application of the labels should occur at the time of preparation, applying one label at a time as medications are prepared, to avoid confusion. Items not labelled, or where there is doubt of the content, should be discarded. It is not recommended for labels to be added on handover of the scrub role, as labeling errors could occur.
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