What it means
A second signature confirms or approves an entry. Instructors or preceptors cosign student and orientee notes, a second nurse cosigns the wasting of a controlled substance they watched, and some facilities require a cosignature for double-checked high-alert drugs. A provider may also cosign orders written by others.
For the nurse
Cosign only what you saw or checked yourself. Signing for a waste you did not witness is falsifying a record.
At a glance
| Also written | cosigned, cosigns, cosigning, co-sign, co-signed |
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Related terms
independent double check
A safety step in which a second qualified person checks a medication on their own, without being told the expected result, before it is given.