Nokea
The nurse is preparing to administer a medication from a multidose bottle. The label is torn and soiled but the name of the medication is still readable. What is the nurse's priority action?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: When the drug label is soiled obscuring some information the safest action by the nurse is to discard the bottle and contents because drug labels contain a great deal of important information, far more than just the name of the drug. Concentration of the drug, expiration date, administration directions, and precautions may be missing from the label and so put the patient at risk. Looking up drug information in a drug handbook or consulting with another nurse will not supply the expiration date or concentration of medication. Be safe and discard the bottle and its contents.