What type of medication error involves a wrong patient?

The correct answer identifies an administering error as the type of medication error that can involve a wrong patient. Administering errors occur when a medication is given to a patient who should not receive it—this might happen in cases where a healthcare professional mistakenly administers medication intended for one patient to another, either due to similar patient names, bed assignments, or other attributes.

In the context of medication management, accuracy during the administration process is critical since it is the final step before a drug is delivered to the patient. Each healthcare provider must verify that the right patient is receiving the correct medication according to their specific medical needs. Mistakes during this phase can lead to significant harm if a patient receives medication that was not intended for them.

Omission errors involve not giving a prescribed medication at all, which does not pertain to the scenario of administering the wrong medication to a patient. Dispensing errors relate to mistakes made by a pharmacy in the preparation or distribution of a medication, often affecting the drug quantity or formulation, rather than the patient to whom it's given. Prescribing errors concern mistakes made by healthcare providers when ordering medications, such as incorrect dosages or inappropriate drug choices, but these do not directly involve the patient in the way administering errors do. Thus,