A nurse is preparing to administer packed red blood cells to a patient. Which of these steps is the most important when administering blood and blood products to any patient?

Correct patient identification is the the single most important factor that should be performed first prior to the administration of any blood or blood product. This is generally dictating by the specific policies of the facility or hospital where you work, but most will use a two-nurse verification system to match and verify the name of the patient with that on the order. Once that step is complete, the others should be completed by the two-person team as well.