College

You are giving drugs from a drug cart. When you enter a person's room, you:

a. ask a CNA to watch the cart for you
b. leave the unlocked cart in the hallway
c. wheel the drug cart into the room
d. lock the cart before entering the person's room

Answer :

Final answer:

The correct action when handling a drug cart and entering a patient's room is to lock the cart to secure the medications and maintain patient safety and privacy.

Explanation:

When you are giving drugs from a drug cart and enter a person's room, the best practice is to lock the cart before entering the person's room. This action secures the medications and complies with healthcare safety protocols to prevent theft, misuse, or tampering, as seen in the incident where a healthcare worker stole syringes of painkillers.

Ensuring the drug cart is locked also protects patients' personal health information (PHI) that may be on the cart, in alignment with privacy regulations like HIPAA in the United States.