Which option describes the correct sequence for addressing a reported medication error?

• A. Notify supervision, then ensure patient safety, complete an incident report, and perform root cause analysis.
• B. Complete an incident report first, then ensure safety and notify supervision.
• C. Immediately ensure patient safety, then notify supervision, complete an incident report, and perform a root cause analysis with corrective actions.
• D. Investigate without reporting.

Answer: (C)

Prioritizing patient safety is the first step when a medication error is reported. Act quickly to ensure the patient is safe, stabilize the situation, monitor for adverse effects, and address any immediate harm. After the patient is stabilized, notify supervision so leadership can coordinate the response and escalation as needed. Next, complete an incident report to document what happened for accountability and learning, in line with institutional policies. Finally, perform a root cause analysis to identify underlying system factors that contributed to the error and implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence. Investigating without reporting misses important safety and learning opportunities and can leave systemic risks unaddressed.