RN Nursing · Medication Errors and Safe Practices · Practice question
A nurse is caring for several clients. For which of the following situations should the nurse complete an incident report?
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The nurse has a disagreement with the nursing supervisor about inadequate staffing.
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A staff member does not show up to work her assigned shift.
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✓
A client discovers that his dentures are missing.
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The nurse identifies a broken piece of equipment.
Answer & explanation
Correct: A client discovers that his dentures are missing.
An incident report, also called a variance or occurrence report, is completed whenever an unexpected event occurs that could affect client safety, welfare, or the quality of care delivered. A client discovering that his dentures are missing is a client safety and property-related event that requires documentation via an incident report because it represents an unexpected occurrence directly affecting a patient in the nurse's care. Missing personal property is a reportable event that must be documented to protect the client, the facility, and the staff. A disagreement between the nurse and nursing supervisor about staffing is a personnel and administrative conflict; while it may be addressed through chain-of-command communication or a staffing concern report, it is not a client safety incident report situation. A staff member not showing up for an assigned shift is a staffing or human resources issue managed through attendance policies, not an incident report. Identifying a broken piece of equipment requires the equipment to be removed from service and reported to biomedical engineering or maintenance, but the mechanism for this is a work order or equipment report, not a client incident report. The missing dentures option is the only scenario that involves a client safety or property concern requiring a formal incident report.
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