DHA Nursing Practice & Standards Flashcards

A nurse administers a medication via the wrong route due to a lookalike/sound-alike (LASA) drug mix-up. After stabilizing the patient, the nurse discovers the incident was not reported by the previous shift. Under DHA Patient Safety Policy, what is the nurse's PRIMARY obligation?

Answer: Report the incident through the hospital's incident reporting system regardless of the previous shift's omission

DHA Patient Safety Policy mandates that any healthcare professional who becomes aware of an adverse event or near-miss must report it through the official incident reporting system, irrespective of when the error occurred or who was responsible. The obligation to report is independent of patient harm visibility and cannot be deferred to others.

A DHA-licensed nurse working in a dialysis unit identifies that a patient's arteriovenous (AV) fistula has a thrill that has diminished compared to the previous session. The patient is asymptomatic and the physician is not immediately available. What is the MOST appropriate next action?

Answer: Document the finding, notify the physician promptly, and defer dialysis until evaluated

A diminished thrill in an AV fistula indicates possible stenosis or thrombosis, which is a vascular access emergency that can progress to complete occlusion. DHA nursing standards require prompt physician notification and withholding dialysis until the fistula is evaluated. Proceeding with dialysis risks further injury to the access site or failure to rescue a developing complication.

During a home health visit, a DHA-licensed nurse suspects an elderly patient is experiencing financial exploitation by a family caregiver. The patient denies any problems and asks the nurse not to report anything. Under UAE law and DHA ethical standards, which statement BEST describes the nurse's legal and ethical position?

Answer: The nurse has a duty to report suspected elder abuse to the appropriate authority, even over the patient's objection

UAE Federal Law No. 28 of 2008 and DHA guidelines establish a mandatory reporting duty for healthcare workers who suspect abuse or exploitation of vulnerable populations, including the elderly. Patient confidentiality and autonomy do not override this statutory obligation. Failure to report constitutes both a legal breach and a violation of professional nursing ethics.

A nurse is preparing a high-alert medication infusion and realizes the pharmacy-prepared bag concentration differs from what is documented on the medication administration record (MAR). The patient is critically ill and the physician insists the nurse administer it immediately, claiming the label is an administrative error. What should the nurse do?

Answer: Hold the medication, clarify the discrepancy with pharmacy, and obtain a corrected order before administering

DHA Medication Management Standards and the Joint Commission's high-alert medication protocols require that any discrepancy between a prepared medication and the MAR be resolved before administration, regardless of physician urgency. The nurse bears independent professional accountability for verifying medication safety and cannot delegate that responsibility to the prescriber. Administering a high-alert medication with an unresolved concentration discrepancy constitutes an unacceptable patient safety risk.

A nurse working in a DHA-licensed facility is approached by a pharmaceutical company representative who offers an educational grant and gifts in exchange for promoting their medication to patients. Which action is consistent with DHA Code of Professional Conduct?

Answer: Decline the offer entirely and report it to nursing management and the hospital compliance officer

DHA's Code of Professional Conduct prohibits nurses from engaging in any arrangement that could constitute a conflict of interest or compromise patient care decisions. Any offer from a pharmaceutical company involving reciprocal promotion must be declined and reported to management and compliance. Partial acceptance (educational materials only) does not eliminate the conflict of interest when tied to a promotion arrangement.

A post-operative patient on a surgical ward develops a sudden drop in blood pressure (90/55 mmHg), tachycardia (118 bpm), and decreased urine output (15 mL/hr) 6 hours after bowel resection. The nurse correctly activates the Rapid Response Team (RRT). While awaiting the RRT, which intervention is the nurse MOST authorized to initiate independently under DHA Nursing Scope of Practice?

Answer: Administer 500 mL normal saline IV bolus per a standing post-op fluid resuscitation order, position supine with legs elevated, and apply supplemental oxygen

Under DHA Nursing Scope of Practice, nurses are authorized and expected to implement existing standing orders, maintain airway and oxygenation, position patients appropriately, and initiate fluid resuscitation under standing post-operative orders when hemodynamic instability is recognized. Withholding intervention violates the duty to rescue; self-initiating vasopressors without a current order exceeds scope; delaying fluids for labs is inappropriate given the clinical urgency.