When a medication label error is found, what must you do?

When a medication label error is found, what must you do?

• A. Report the error to the pharmacist and have the label corrected as soon as possible but no later than the next business day
• B. Change the label yourself
• C. Contact the child’s parent only
• D. Do nothing

Answer: (A)

When you find a medication label error, the priority is patient safety: report it to the pharmacist so the label can be corrected before the medication is given. Do not try to change the label yourself, because altering labeling can introduce new errors and isn’t within your role. Informing the child’s parent is important for communication, but it doesn’t fix the labeling issue and isn’t a substitute for addressing the error. Do nothing would leave the error uncorrected and could lead to harm. The standard expectation is to have the label corrected as soon as possible, but no later than the next business day, and to document the incident and ensure the corrected label is applied before the next administration. This ensures the correct medication, dose, and instructions are given to the child.

When you find a medication label error, the priority is patient safety: report it to the pharmacist so the label can be corrected before the medication is given. Do not try to change the label yourself, because altering labeling can introduce new errors and isn’t within your role. Informing the child’s parent is important for communication, but it doesn’t fix the labeling issue and isn’t a substitute for addressing the error. Do nothing would leave the error uncorrected and could lead to harm. The standard expectation is to have the label corrected as soon as possible, but no later than the next business day, and to document the incident and ensure the corrected label is applied before the next administration. This ensures the correct medication, dose, and instructions are given to the child.