A medicine given twice to the same patient
NZ nursing OSCE practice station

The task

You are the nurse on a medical ward. It is 10:00. The night nurse has just phoned to say she gave Maryam Karimi, aged 59, her morning blood pressure tablet at 06:00 but forgot to sign the chart. You gave the same tablet at 08:00 because the chart showed nothing. Mrs Karimi has told a health care assistant she feels light-headed. The nurse in charge is available and a doctor can be reached by phone. Assess Mrs Karimi, decide what must happen straight away, and speak with her honestly about what has happened. Explain what you will do next and how the event will be recorded.

What this station tests

• Make the patient safe first, then report and disclose.
• Disclose errors honestly and promptly, in plain words, with an apology. This is part of patients' rights.
• Do not blame colleagues; describe facts.
• Report every medicine incident in the reporting system and tell the nurse in charge.
• Sign the chart straight after giving a medicine, and ask the patient what they have already had today.

Sources for the clinical content

• Health Quality & Safety Commission: adverse events
• Health and Disability Commissioner: Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers' Rights
• Healthify: perindopril

An original practice scenario with invented patients. Not an exam question.

Practise next

• A man declines intravenous antibiotics for a leg infection