A nurse is preparing to administer medications to a client and notices the wrong medication was administered on the previous shift. Which of the following actions should the nurse take first after obtaining vital signs?

A. Complete an incident report is necessary for documenting the error, but it should not be the first action. Immediate steps should focus on patient safety and addressing the error. B. Document the findings in the nurse’s notes is important for maintaining accurate medical records, but it should follow the immediate actions taken to address the error. C. Notify the nursing manager is important for internal reporting and addressing the error within the healthcare team, but it should not be the first action. D. Inform the client’s provider is the first action the nurse should take. The provider needs to be informed immediately to assess the client’s condition, determine any necessary interventions, and prevent potential harm from the medication error.