1Qualityimprovementproject-3.docx

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Quality improvement project
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Quality improvement project

Medication errors

In United States medical error is a serious health care problem that can lead to death. According to the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention, medication errors refers to any preventable event that may cause inappropriate use of medication and can result in harmful effects on the patients(Elden & Ismail, 2016). Medication errors can occur either during prescription, documentation in the computer, preparation and administration of the medication. Nurses being the front liners in medication administration they are at a high risk of committing medication errors. They therefore need to have accurate pharmacological knowledge, good decision making and critical thinking skills (Chu, 2016). Globally, medication errors occur on daily basis yet health professionals are still skeptical about reporting such occurrences. Reporting the medical errors helps in determining the cause and type of error. Therefore when there is inconsistency in reporting, it is difficult to determine the cause of the error thus affecting the ability to provide viable solutions.
Currently, medication errors is the third leading cause of death in United States. About 250,000 people die annually due to medication errors. Additionally it can lead to increased length of hospital stay, additional medical interventions and increased costs. To the nurse, it is emotionally traumatizing when they commit a medical error (Rodziewicz, Houseman & Hipskind, 2021). It undermines their self-esteem and makes them feel guilty and fearful to administer safe care to the patient. The nurse may lack confidence in function and feel like they are going to lose the patients trust. This can lead to psychological distress and some nurses may even opt to leave the practice.
Medication errors have significant effects on the safety of the patient. It poses health problems that threatens the life of the patient (Elden & Ismail, 2016). Therefore it is important to identify those errors, learn about them and provide viable solutions that prevent its occurrence. Effective management of errors can be achieved through effective reporting and application of tailored preventive measures (Rodziewicz, Houseman & Hipskind, 2021). This in turn improves the patients’ safety. In health care, medication errors should be viewed as a challenge to patients’ safety that needs to be overcome. All health workers must work towards providing safer care to the patients and their families. They can improve patient outcomes while reducing harm through reduction of medical errors.
Medication errors can be reduced following three steps; first identify the error event, second determining the type of error and finally apply preventive measures. Some of the best practices in medication errors is ensuring safe administration of medication. The nurse’s must therefore have knowledge and skills essential for proper calculation to determine the correct dose (Chu, 2016). Additionally they must know the different routes of drug administration, which is I.M, I.V, oral and subcutaneous. These basics of drug administration reduces the incidences of errors. Apart from that the health care system must ensure that all the nurses have up-to-date pharmacological knowledge. The hospital must therefore ensure that they receive continuous education on how to use new drugs in the market. They should also be aware of the possible side effects of all drugs. Another important thing to consider is that during administration, the nurse must have an assistant to confirm the medications. The procedure should also be performed in a clam environment free from distractions.
Finally, reporting of medication is a very important practice that the healthcare system should embrace. It helps identify failures in medication processes and helps to prevent occurrence of future incidences. Reports can be used to identify the cause of the error and plan on preventive measures and policies (Chu, 2016). The organization should therefore encourage non-manipulative reporting where everyone is free of guilt and blame. It should create a culture of safety in the hospital.

References

Chu, R. (2016). Simple steps to reduce medication errors. Nursing, 46(8), 63-65. doi: 10.1097/01.nurse.0000484977.05034.9c
Elden, N., & Ismail, A. (2016). The Importance of Medication Errors Reporting in Improving the Quality of Clinical Care Services. Global Journal Of Health Science, 8(8), 243. doi: 10.5539/gjhs.v8n8p243
Rodziewicz, T., Houseman, B., & Hipskind, J. (2021). Medical Error Reduction and Prevention. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499956/