The most effective way in the acute care environment to determine the

The most effective way in the acute care environment to determine the client’s identity before administering medications is to:

1. Ask the client’s name
2. Check the name on the chart
3. Ask the other caregivers
4. Check the client’s name band

ANSWER

ANS: 4
To identify a client correctly, the nurse checks the medication administration form against the client’s identification bracelet and asks the client to state his or her name to ensure that the cli-ent’s identification bracelet has the correct information. The nurse may ask the client his or her name if the identification bracelet is missing or illegible and obtain a new identification bracelet for the client. The nurse should ask the client to state his or her full name. The nurse should not merely say the client’s name and assume that the client’s response indicates that he or she is the right person. Checking the name on the chart does not identify the right client. Asking other caregivers is not the most effective way to determine a client’s identity before administering medications. The nurse should develop the habit of checking the client’s name band.