Introduction To Medication Error

Introduction to medication error:

Medication errors are any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the health care profession, patient or consumer (Johnson, 2012). Approximate 1.3 million people injure each year due to medication errors in the United States. According to the Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention describes medication errors as any event that cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while on the medication (Comrade 2014). The Food and drug administration evaluates and report the most common medication error as improper dosage accounts for 41 percent of fatal medication error and failure

to monitor side- effect of medication errors. Medication error is more prevalent among elderly patients 60 and older because they take multiple meds. According to the American Journal of Medicine, medication errors cause more than 10, 00 deaths each year. One of the greatest problems is transcription errors. Hence, poor transcription orders are passed from doctors to nurses and can result giving the wrong amount of the drug to the patient's.

Impact of the error:

Medication error can lead to serious injuries or even death. A report from the Government Accounting Office report found that millions of Americans are injured or died by taking the wrong medication that may interact with other drugs. For example, administering the wrong dosage of a medication such as Coumadin can cause the patient to bleed from different sites such as, mouth, gastrointestinal tract, and blood in the urine, vomiting coffee brown emesis, bruising more easily and dizziness . Moreover, the wrong dosage of Coumadin can lead to necrosis of the tissue. Furthermore, inappropriate dosage of Coumadin can lead to toxicity which can impair liver and kidney function. Furthermore, often times doctors can write illegibly or the name of the medication goes into the pharmacy incorrectly, or a wrong drug is pulled from the shelf. These errors significantly impact the patient by causing potential interactions, which can lead to death or serious illness. Therefore, the wrong medication can impact the patient health and leads to serious complications.

Corrective action:

Medication error is a complex process that involves prescribing and dispensing.

An error can happen at any step of the process. The Institute for Safe Medication Practices has identified ten elements with the greatest influence on medication error such as, two patient identifiers, ask the patient about any allergy, Avoid abbreviations, pay close attention to patient’s diagnosis, and note the patient current medication regimen. Using two identifiers when dispensing medication can cut the risk of medication errors. For example, along with patient’s name ask for the date of birth to make sure the prescription matches the patient. In addition, having a system in place to show patients with similar names. This can be simple as a special color coded stickers or even verify information with the family members. Secondly, ask the patient about any allergy and reaction to medications before any new medication is administered. This includes information from the patient’s chart. Thirdly avoid the use of abbreviations which can easily misinterpret when documenting medication of allergies. Fourthly, pay close attention to the patient’s diagnosis, which can affect the dose and frequency. For instance, patients with kidney, impairment, liver and diabetes fall under this category. Educate patients to ask for information from their doctor when they received a medication to include what is the name of the medicine, dosage, and what it is used for. Lastly, note the patient’s current medication regimens and update the list for each visit. These simple tips can definitely enhance patient safety and decrees any

errors.

Results of corrective actions:

The result of safety measures with medication usage is numerous. For example, make sure your doctor knows about your condition and all your medication. Thus, this includes prescription and over the counter drugs and any dietary supplements such as vitamin and herbs. Another tip that can reduce medication errors is to bring all medicine to the doctor’s office so that they can have a clear picture what medications you are taking. Next make sure you can read the prescription that your doctor wrote for you. Utilizing electronic prescription can also be an effective way to decrease medication errors and promote patient’s safety. For example, electronic prescription uses software to check for drug interactions, sensitivity, and polypharmacy. Electronic prescribing is the success for the future by saving paper and creating a green environment. Therefore, following proper guidelines can decrease the mortality rate of medication errors.

Conclusion:

To prevent dispensing wrong meds and dosage, it is essential to read all labels and double-check all orders. It is important to read all labels correctly and when in doubt, consult the doctor or the pharmacy for more help. Ensure that the prescriptions are legible and you can read it. Do not transcript orders that are illegible before clarification of the order.

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