What is the role of the nurse in patient safety?

• A. To diagnose and prescribe treatments.
• B. To coordinate patient admissions only.
• C. To supervise administrative tasks not related to safety.
• D. To assess, report, and implement safety measures to protect patients.

Answer: (D)

Patient safety rests on the nurse continuously assessing risk, reporting concerns, and implementing safety measures to protect patients. This means looking for hazards such as fall risk, infection risk, medication errors, or environmental dangers; then communicating findings to the care team and applying precautions like proper patient identification, hand hygiene, appropriate use of side rails and call lights, fall-prevention strategies, and correct medication handling. It also includes monitoring for changes in the patient’s condition and escalating issues promptly to prevent harm. Diagnosing and prescribing are tasks outside the nurse’s scope, coordinating admissions is about logistics rather than ongoing safety, and supervising administrative tasks not related to safety does not directly reduce harm. These actions together demonstrate how a nurse actively protects patients in everyday care.