...Medication errors are a very serious patient safety problem. They can be described as any mistake or incorrect judgement of a prescription, in dispensing or administering medication. It can be the mistake of a doctor, nurse or pharmacist. In the USA the Institute of medicine reported that 44,000 to 98,000 deaths were caused by medical errors yearly. 7,000 of them due to medication errors. In addition, Johnson and Bootman calculated 116 million visits to doctors, 17 million visit to Emergency Department, 8 million hospital admissions and 3 million long-term care admissions per year due to medication errors (Kwabena 2004). There are three people involved in medicine. The doctor who orders the medicine, the pharmacist who supplies the medicine and the nurse who gives the medicine. Any mistakes in their roles will result in medication errors. Thus, there are...
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...Medical errors occur more frequently than most people realize. One of the major medical errors that can occur is medication errors. In fact, “preventable medication errors were responsible for 7000 deaths per year, and it is estimated that 3 to 6.9% of hospitalized patients experience a medication error” (Lilley, Collins, & Snyder, 2017, p. 63). It is important to understand the complexity of the medication administration process because medication errors seriously affect patient safety and can even cause death. The process of medication administration is complex and leaves significant room for error. The process starts with the provider giving the order for a certain medication. The provider or nurse must enter the order into the computer system correctly. The...
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...Reducing Medication Errors In Hospitals Patient centered care and patient safety are the most important roles in nursing. “Serious medication errors are common in hospitals and often occur during order transcription or administration of medication” (Poon et al., 2010. p. 1). According to Seibert (2014), medication errors and related deaths cost the health care system billions of dollars yearly and that at least one error a day happens in all hospitals. “An estimated 450,000 adverse drug events medication errors that result in patient harm occur annually, approximately 25% of which are preventable” (Seibert, 2014. p. 1). One important aspect of nursing is drug administration. It is a multidisciplinary task including doctors, pharmacist...
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...Prevention of Medication Errors in Nursing Practice Breton Sloop NU 332 Foundations of Nursing November 11, 2015 Teresa Faust Mary is a critical care nurse at a busy urban hospital, who is trying to catch up on her morning medication administrations. Her patient had required several procedures that morning, due to an alteration in his condition, and now Mary is behind schedule. The patient is intubated, so she decides to crush the pills, and administer them through his nasogastric tube. The patient’s medication is already late, but in her dash to give the medication as quickly as possible, she fails to notice the “Do Not Crush” warning on the electronic medication administration record (MAR). She then crushes an extended-release calcium...
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...collection procedures for this research is by observation of 118 health care professionals preparing medication preparation of intravenous narcotic preparation. Researchers were focusing on 2 potential approaches to reducing medication error, individual error focus and systematic error focus. Observing the health care professionals with different procedural changes, process design, to see if it reduces the possibility of error is the appropriate data collection. This research did not directly involve patient identifiable health information. This study was based off of the data from the original study that used some patient protected health information. This research studied the two possible approaches that would possibly effect the reduction in medication errors. The principles of validity and reliability are essential bases of the scientific method. Validity of research must have been randomization of the sample groups and appropriate care and diligence shown in the allocation of controls (Shuttle, 2008). The research is validated since the sample group is randomized with professionals within their field such as RN’s that are licensed to prepare IV mediations along with hospital pharmacists. Also controls were allocated with diligence. For example, the group in the research were randomly selected and the controls, such as the same medications and stations, were kept the same for each participation as much as possible. The reliability of the research is defined that researchers...
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...studies have been conducted to prove the relationship of shift work and fatigue and the results noted on medication errors. Two articles were chosen using the University Library, a qualitative research study and a quantitative research study from peer reviewed articles through the use of databases such as EBSCOhost, ProQuest, and Gale Powersearch. To research this topic, the query tool utilizing terminology such as shift work, fatigue, and medication errors was used to narrow the search. The intent of this paper is to identify the difference between research study articles versus plain journal articles, the type of nursing journals, and if the article is peer reviewed. EBSCOhost allows one to narrow the search, by selecting the mode as Boolean search, the source type as Academic Journal, the subjects as errors and patient safety, the publication as Journal of Nursing Management, AORN Journal, and Journal of Nursing Education, and finally the database as CINAHL plus with full text reduced the results to 259 articles. The articles are in order from most relevant to least relevant. Effects of working conditions of intravenous medication errors in Japanese hospital, written by Seki and Yamazaki was the most relevant article posted that encompassed the use of a quantitative research method to support the educational content. According to Burns and Grove (2011) “quantitative research is a formal, objective systematic processes in which numerical data are used to obtain information about...
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...The research conducted in this study focuses on how medication errors and how they are caused by doctors not being educated and trained in medical colleges about the administration and prescribing of medicine. The other problem shown in this article is that colleges within the United Kingdom are showing a lack of these special educational studies in medicine. The problem of the study is very important to Administrators because patient safety is one of the main priorities in any health care facility. Administrator overlook the progression of patient care and by seeing this study about medication errors, this should grab their attention. By knowing that doctors are not properly prescribing medications to patients, administration can take a deeper look into their faculties and makes sure all professional health care providers are up to date and fully trained in the process of prescribing medicine. The purpose of this study is to bring strong insight in the reader. Also, readers must realize that medication error dangerous and that they can happen anywhere. Not all doctors have the full education they need in prescribing medication to them. The research deals mostly on the research of the lack of education and training in medical colleges and how it influences poor medication errors. After reviewing the study, the main research question would be what causes medication errors and how can it be fixed? There are more than one hypotheses of this study. After reviewing the possible...
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...Medication Safety Medication plays a key role in healthcare but can also be an important key cause of medical error. Patients are entitled to receive safe care including receiving the correct medications. The administration of medication is a daily routine for nurses therefore, it is vital to remember the “Five Rights” of medication safety. The other issue that we are facing on the medical surgical floor is stress. The last issue is that staffs are being interrupted in medication room. Many different things can go wrong when it comes to the administering medication, for example communication between the patient and the nurse could go wrong, or the labeling of the medication, even the dosage can cause improper usage of the drug. The question is what role do nurses play when it comes to medication safety? Nurses play many different roles in the world of medicine; however the most important role is to assure that patients are receiving their medication safely. One of the recommendations to reduce medication errors and harm is to use the “Five rights: the right patient, the right drug, the right dose, the right route, and the right time” (Choo, Hutchinson & Bucknall, 2010). Verifying the patient’s identity ensures that the correct patient is receiving the medication, confirming that the medication written on the order is the same medication being prepared, ensures the right drug, dose and route is given. Some medications must be given at specific time, so it imperative to provide...
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...nursing practice and allows for the delivery of optimal nursing care. Evidence-Based Nursing (EBN) involves the process of researching and implementing proven evidence in providing better patient care and is crucial as the role of the nurse is ever expanding (Banning, 2005). This essay will demonstrate that as a student nurse, the author has gained the necessary skills to conduct an evidence-based literature search and review and implement that knowledge into practice. Starting with a brief discussion on EBN it will go on to identify a suitable research question. During a placement on a medical ward the author noticed that nurses experienced many interruptions whilst conducting medication rounds and this review will consider ways to minimise interruptions and thus improve patient safety. Using the PICO acronym a suitable research question was formulated, ‘do interruptions during medication rounds increase the drugs administration errors made by nurses?’ A short description of the literature search is given and a summary of findings is presented in tabular form. Five original articles were selected and one chosen to critically appraise (see appendix 2). The rest of the essay will focus on reviewing the five articles. It will furthermore demonstrate the link between interruptions during drug rounds and patient and nurse safety, consider the implications of the studies for nursing practice and include the nurse’s perspective of these interruptions. Dale (2005) defines EBP as ‘the...
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...A study entitled, “A Controlled Trial of Smart Infusion Pumps to Improve Medication Safety in Critically Ill Patients” was completed (Rothschild et al., 2005). The authors’ purpose was to “assess the impact of smart pumps with integrated decision support software on the incidence and nature of medication errors and adverse drug events” (Rothschild et al., 2005). The study was conducted in 2002 at a large tertiary care medical center in Boston, Massachusetts. More specifically, the study focused on patients who had been admitted to two cardiac intensive care units and two cardiac step-down units. Many medical centers are transitioning to use of smart pumps, in hopes of reducing medication errors and adverse drug events. Summary The goal...
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...Wrong-time Medication Administration Errors NUR 45200 Quality and Safety for Professional Nursing Practice May 1st, 2016. Patient Safety/Quality Improvement Statement and Chosen Cause that will Drive Improvement Wrong-time medication administration error has been identified as one of the major components of medication errors committed my health care professionals especially nurses. Several factors or causes are responsible for this error, but nursing factor will be discussed in this essay focusing majorly on medications pass time insufficiency and med pass rule of 30 minute. Nurses are directly involved in medication administration and they can play a huge role in preventing or reducing wrong-time medication administration error. Current Knowledge of the Patient Safety Concern/Quality Improvement Issue Wrong-time medication administration error is the most common type of medication errors committed by nurses. It can simply be defined as failure to administer medications 30min before or after the due due/scheduled time. The last element of the 5 Rights -- right time -- has often been governed by the "30-minute medication rule." For as long as many nurses can remember, every hospital, unit, and nurse has passed medications by this rule, which says that a medication is "on time" if it is administered 30 minutes before or 30 minutes after the scheduled administration time (although some hospitals have policies that allow a 60-minute, rather than a 30-minute, window). Such...
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...Evaluating the Research Process Week 4 Allison Valentino HCS 465 September 3, 2012 Dr. Ajit Narang Evaluating the Research Process ➢ Explain the research process used in the study Research process was to determine if Japan hospital organizations experienced any incidence of adverse drug events and medication errors. If so, why were these errors happening and how to does the data compare to other countries in the surrounding areas in addition to the United States. Two physicians were involved to determine the incidents. Data was gathered from Western countries but not world wide. Another reason to do the research was the increase in patient safety. ➢ How is the literature review used in the research? Literature/data was retrieved from other Western countries and the United States. Comparison with JADE study (Japan Adverse Drug Events) done by Bates DW in 1995 as well as including the research done for global patient safety also done by Bates DW in 1995. ➢ What are the ethical considerations for data collection? Data was gathered from several different subject selections (ages and genders); appropriate staff was involved (physicians who were qualified); names were kept anonymous to protect patient confidentiality; staff was aware of the research ➢ What is the data telling us in terms of...
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...Medication Safety Patient safety is the first priority concern for leadership in all health care organizations. The medication delivery process is the most common intervention in health care system. For that reason medication safety is considered the most challenging and complex process in improving patient care and safety during hospitalization. Medication-related errors are serious and occur at a rate of about one per patient per day (Allan, 1990). It is a harmful practice affecting patient’s health and life. Some of these errors may result in death or inefficiency of organs functions. In addition, medication errors may financially affect the health care organization due to long patient stay in the hospital for advanced treatment (Presto, 2004). This research paper will provide highlights on medication errors definition, importance of safety during medication process, factors contributing to medication errors and effective factors in preventing medication errors. Medication errors were defined as a fault in medication that may occur at any stage of the process in ordering or delivering medications (Bates, Boyle, Vliet, Scheider & Leape, 1995), either an injury occurred or the potential for injury was present (Bates et al, 1999). These errors could occur in dosing error, which is common (Lesar, Briceland & Stein, 1997), or wrong route, or wrong time, or error in medicine rate and omission error (O’Shea, 1998). Also there are some situations such as missing a dose of...
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...consequences of the act/s, which could include expulsion from Indiana Wesleyan University. Thesis The health care industry each years spends millions in medication errors that could be prevented. By implementing a data entry system that would allow access by medical professionals and pharmacies to collaborate and reduce the chance of medication errors dramatically. The data systems are pricy but when compared to the cost of medication errors and loss of lives it saves most medical establishments money. Annotated Bibliography The need for data entry systems to reduce medical errors Rinda, J. (2012). integration helps clinicians reduce medication errors. Health Management Technology , 33 (10), 12-13. With the risks of medication errors endangering lives, the technology has been gearing towards linking smart infusion pumps with health information platforms. Electronic health records have already been developed and are currently being used in some areas. This can lead to reductions in health care costs and increase in workflow. The medication errors could result in 400,000 preventable injuries each year. 1.5 million errors occur in the U.S. each year, resulting in $77 billion in cost annually. The iv integration system which is a form of the medication entry system, resulted in no iv related medication errors within the first 90 days used at Lancaster General Hospital. With the right implementation any healthcare would be able...
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...Nurses are the fine line between medication administration errors and medication administration error prevention. Nurses should be required to go above and beyond to avoid medication errors for the safety of the patient. This paper includes studies on the nurses knowledge, adherence and opinions on two-nurse double-check method for medication administration. The research concludes the evidence proved to be insignificant. Keywords: time management, medication errors, patient safety, double-check medication administration THE LINK BETWEEN INDEPENDENT DOUBLE CHECK AND PATIENT SAFETY Introduction The risk of medication errors will always exist, despite the many methods of preventing medication administration errors. The steps of the medication administration process are vital for patient safety. Unfortunately due to the lack of nurses in hospitals, nurses tend to skip steps of safe medication administration because of patient load and the time required to perform the steps. Are double checks essential in preventing medication errors? A diabetic patient on the medical-surgical floor needs the...
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