Patient safety is priority, so the nurse first assesses the patient, notifies the provider, and carries out any subsequent orders to ensure the patient is safe. Once the patient is considered to be safe, the nurse completes an incident report to aid in tracking and preventing medication errors. It is inappropriate to submit the incident immediately upon learning of the incident because this may compromise patient safety. The nurse completes the incident report earlier than at the end of the shift or within three days because the nurse’s account will be most accurate as soon as possible after the event.