A 32-year-old male resident of a long-term care facility has spina bifida with a neurogenic bladder and a seizure disorder. Documented allergies: penicillin (hives) and sulfa drugs (rash). His home/OTC/herbal list includes phenytoin 100 mg PO TID, warfarin 5 mg PO daily for a prior DVT, ibuprofen 400 mg PO PRN for back pain, St. John's Wort, and a glucosamine-chondroitin supplement. A new order is received: "Cephalexin 500 mg PO QID x7 days for UTI, Dr. Alvarez." Before administering the first dose, the LPN reviews the medication administration record. Cephalexin is a cephalosporin antibiotic. Before giving this new order, what is the most important action for the LPN to take?
- Chart that the resident has a penicillin allergy and proceed to give the scheduled dose, without notifying the health care provider.
- Check the resident's documented allergy history before administering the cephalexin.
- Independently substitute a different antibiotic class since cephalosporins resemble penicillin.
- Hold the cephalexin because the glucosamine-chondroitin supplement may interact with antibiotics.