Common Medical Errors

Common errors:
Reduction & prevention
There are several different types of errors that could take place in the medical field. One of the more common errors is medication errors. This is preventable by having clear orders from the physician to the pharmacy. The pharmacy then needs to ensure that the correct medication is pulled from the shelf. The nursing staff needs to monitor what they are giving their patient and ensure that it matches the physician orders. Hospitals are making it easy for this to be prevented by having physicians order the medication via computer which gets sent straight to the pharmacy, the medications are then scanned out of the pharmacy and also scanned before being given to the patient. The medication and dose should

Not ordering the proper test to determine what is wrong with a patient is a mistake that can be prevented. On a daily basis with treating patients you will come across those patients that need to have further imaging but the physician is not ordering it despite signs and symptoms. Misreading imaging and not acting on those issues that are found is a problem in the medical field and is considered a medical error. Nurses and therapists are only able to act on what the physician orders, sometimes if you know the physician well enough you can have a professional discussion with them about your findings and they may take it into consideration without being offended. Preventing errors is something that all clinicians can do. Making sure that medications coming from the pharmacy match what the physician ordered and that they are given to the correct patient. Making sure that the documentation matches the treatment to the patient. Surgical errors can be prevented by making sure that the surgeon is operating on the correct body part. Nursing will ensure that all instruments are accounted for before the surgery is complete. Making sure that as a clinician you are doing everything in your power to complete documentation and treat the patients according to their ability to prevent injury to the patient and yourself. Systems errors can be prevented by knowing what you need in order to document effectively and in a timely

Medical errors can be life-changing for a patient and sometimes even fatal. Modifying software to help prevent errors is critical. Discussing changes that can be made to the system will improve patient care and prevent medical errors. Ensuring that staff has proper training of standards is important to prevent medical errors as well. Documenting the pertinent information in regards to patient history, medications, allergies and co-morbidities is important, especially if that patient requires emergency medical help while under your care. Making sure that a patient who is a high fall risk is monitored with the proper supervision at all times and is wearing a gait