Progress Made to Prevent Errors of Treatment

Type:Discussion Board

Subject:Nursing Discussion Post

Subject area: Nursing

Education Level: Maters Program

Length: 1  pages

Referencing style: APA

Preferred English: US English

Spacing Option: Double

Title: Medication Errors

Class 10#2 Discussion Board

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Progress Made to Prevent Errors of Treatment, especially errors with Medication

According to the 2006 Institute of Medicine Report, medication errors approximately harm 1.5 million individuals annually. The medication errors were attributable to incorrect drug administration and failure to administer or prescribe medication (Stelfox et al., 2006).  However, the report noted that technology could solve medication errors by enhancing compliance and reducing variation. The report further stated that pharmacy and nursing shortages, poor medication distribution, poor handwriting, and high patient acuity were the major causes of medication errors (Stelfox et al., 2006; Ledlow & Stephens, 2018). Thus, radiofrequency and barcodes identification are the primary solution to improving medication administration in facilities. 

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Since the 2006 IOM report, much progress has been made in preventing medication errors. For instance, the healthcare system uses information technologies like personal health records, electronic medication reconciliation, barcode medication administration, automated dispensing, and computerized physician order entry to prevent medication errors. Other strategies implemented by facilities include the five rights of medication administration, medication review before administration, independent double checks, patient education, and the provision of a supportive practice environment. Despite the progress, medication errors are likely to occur due to incorrect medication calculations, inadequate pharmacological information, and disregarding the defined protocols (Gorgich et al., 2016). Therefore, nurse managers should address these human resource-issues by providing in-service education and workshops about medication errors, drug side-effects, medication preparation, and pharmacologic knowledge. The training should be quarterly to increase awareness among nurses on the need to prevent medication errors. Additionally, the nurse manager should enhance access to adequate resources, an uninterrupted work environment, and a non-punitive approach to reporting errors. These strategies will result in the prevention of medication errors and their associated consequences.

References

Gorgich, E. A. C., Barfroshan, S., Ghoreishi, G., & Yaghoobi, M. (2016). Investigating the causes of medication errors and strategies to prevention of them from nurses and nursing student viewpoint. Global journal of health science, 8(8), 220-227. doi: 10.5539/gjhs.v8n8p220

Ledlow, G. R., & Stephens, J. H.(2018). Leadership for health professionals: Theory, skills, and applications. Burlington, MA: Jones & Barlett Learning

Stelfox, H. T., Palmisani, S., Scurlock, C., Orav, E. J., & Bates, D. W. (2006). The “To Err is Human” report and the patient safety literature. BMJ Quality & Safety, 15(3), 174-178.