A nurse is caring for a client who has an allergy to penicillin. The health care provider has prescribed amoxicillin. Which of the following actions should the nurse take?

Rationale: A. Amoxicillin is a penicillin-class antibiotic. Administering it to a client with a known penicillin allergy places the client at risk for a hypersensitivity reaction, which may range from mild rash to life-threatening anaphylaxis. Therefore, it should not be given without clarification. B. This is incorrect as the immediate action. While pharmacists are valuable resources for medication safety, the priority in this situation is to clarify the prescription directly with the prescribing provider because the provider must be informed of the documented allergy and may need to change the medication order. C. The nurse’s priority is client safety and prevention of harm. Since amoxicillin is contraindicated in a client with a penicillin allergy (due to cross-reactivity risk), the nurse should immediately contact the prescribing provider to request an alternative antibiotic and clarify the order before administration. D. Incident reports are used for quality improvement and risk management purposes and are not part of the client’s medical record. They are completed after an actual error or adverse event occurs. In this situation, no medication has been given yet, so an incident report is not appropriate.