🩺 Nursing Question of the Day
Challenge yourself with one exam-style nursing question every day.
✅ Think carefully • ✅ Choose your answer • ✅ Then scroll down to check the explanation.
📝 Today’s Question:
It was observed by a nurse that the medication prescriptions given by the doctor was wrongly noted by the nurse of the previous shift. Who among the following will fill out the report of this incident?
👆 Comment your answer and the tap an option to check your answer.
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📝 Incident Report in Nursing
It was observed by a nurse that the medication prescriptions given by the doctor were wrongly noted by the nurse of the previous shift. Who among the following will fill out the report of this incident?
(a) Concerned nurse who spotted the error
(b) Nurse who committed the mistake in the previous shift
(c) Supervising nurse who is in charge of the nursing unit
(d) Original nurse who was assigned to the patient on the first day
📋 What is an incident report?
An incident report is a formal record used to document an unusual event, error, accident, or situation that could have caused or did cause harm to a patient, staff member, or visitor.
The important point in this question is that the nurse currently caring for the patient discovers the medication documentation error. The nurse who discovers the incident should report it according to the institution’s reporting policy.
Medication prescription is incorrectly documented → error is discovered → patient safety is assessed → appropriate supervisor/provider is informed → incident is documented through the incident-reporting system
⚠️ Why should the nurse who discovers it report it?
Incident reporting is primarily about patient safety and risk management, not simply about blaming the person who made the mistake.
The nurse who discovers the error has direct knowledge that an incident has occurred. Therefore, that nurse should initiate the incident report according to the facility’s policy, while the nurse involved in the original error and the supervisor may also need to provide information or complete other required documentation.
If the incorrect medication order has the potential to harm the patient, the priority is not the paperwork first. The nurse should first protect the patient, clarify the prescription/order, notify the appropriate healthcare professional, and then complete the required incident documentation.
🩺 Important Nursing Principle
If a medication error is discovered, first determine whether the patient has received the medication and assess for possible harm. Follow the facility’s medication-error protocol and notify the appropriate healthcare provider/supervisor as required. The incident report is then completed as required by policy.
❌ Why are the other options wrong?
This nurse may need to provide information about what happened and may be required to complete documentation according to facility policy. However, in this question, the error has been discovered by the current nurse, who should initiate the incident report under the usual reporting principle.
The supervisor should generally be notified and may review or follow up on the incident. However, being the unit supervisor does not automatically mean that the supervisor is the person who discovered the incident or must be the one to initiate the report.
This nurse has no special responsibility merely because they were originally assigned to the patient. The relevant factor is who discovered the incident and the facility’s reporting procedure.
📚 Quick Comparison
| Person | Typical role |
|---|---|
| Nurse who discovers error | Initiates reporting according to policy |
| Nurse involved in error | Provides factual information; may have additional reporting duties per policy |
| Supervisor | Receives notification, ensures follow-up and patient-safety actions |
🚫 What should NOT be written in an incident report?
An incident report should contain objective, factual information. Avoid emotional statements, assumptions, blame, or insulting descriptions.
For example, instead of writing: “The previous nurse was careless and made a serious mistake,” document the objective facts—what prescription was written, what was documented, what was discovered, when it was discovered, and what actions were taken.
“Who sees the incident, starts the report.”
The nurse who discovers the incident should initiate the report according to the hospital’s policy.
In nursing administration questions, remember the distinction: discoverer → reports, supervisor → receives/reviews and follows up.
Most importantly, an incident report is intended for patient safety, quality improvement, and risk management, not primarily for punishment or blame.
Concept clarity • Easy recall • Nursing success
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