Essay On Medication Error

Various kinds of issues concerning medical errors in the health care sector have been observed. A few examples that cause medication errors in the medical health care system include communication problems, patient-related problems, technical problems, and workflow (Tariq & Sharma, 2018). The patient was provided with wrong medication that has led to allergic reaction that has made patient restless. The patient was in very discomfort, itching and rashes had made the patient restless. The patient later was given medication and was alright after some time. This was unintentional harm to the patient that I have faced in my nursing carrier. The common errors observed in hospitals and health care sectors include medication error, sparse monitoring, and technical error. The allergic reaction in patient has caused discomfort and later patient was provided with proper medication and after that patient was fine. Medication error is usually observed because of wrong medication, dose omission, and inaccuracy in administration techniques (Bratch & Pandit, 2021).

 

In my clinical experiences, I have observed that if an error can happen, it can occur again. I was assigned to a Patient and I made the worst medication error. I have worked hard for giving proper care and medication to the patient, but now I am feeling distraught! This is the worst feeling that I cannot of think so far. I have provided the wrong medicine to the patient; the medicine has shown the worst results in the form of allergy. The incorrect medication led to an allergic reaction in the body and I felt very bad and become very anxious about what could happen next. Nursing communication is the vital factor that supports in maintaining the culture and courtesy that a patient is expecting (Dirik et al., 2019).

 

Medication errors in nursing are important and it has significant implication on patient safety. A medication error can occur at any of phases of medication use; such as dispensing, prescription and administration (Gusain et al., 2020). Few queries administration can observe or can ask the patients while communicating so to reduce medication errors, Did the nurse listen to the patient patiently, and how many times nurses have elaborated things to patients so that patient can understand in a better way. A clear explanation is important to have a good communication for the proper medical treatment process (Wan et al., 2020). Listening is also an important factor that reduces medication error most of the time (Rodziewicz et al. 2020). With the proper listening to issues of patients, the medical staff also with nurses becomes more attentive to providing requirements to the patients so that nurses can coordinate with them (Gusain et al., 2020). Sometimes medication errors can occur because of inadequate flow of information; it requires discussing the plans and preferences of the patients (Dirik et al., 2019). Reporting of medication error support enhancing the quality of clinical care services provided by nurses in the health care sector. These kinds of errors are preventable and can occur at any stage of the drug delivery process (Bryan et al., 2021). Inadequate information flow can result in miscellaneous problems such as the absence of critical information when demanded can significantly impact prescribing of remedies. Obscene coordination of various medicines orders should be preserved as this can also impact the health while enduring inappropriate medications. Fear punishments have made nurses not report errors as they fear of losing their job (Gusain et al., 2020). Unfortunately, the major problem is faced by patients because of deaths. Sometimes hypertensive medications are provided by nurses that develop a few ambulatory dysfunction and personality changes (Tariq & Sharma, 2018).

Medication error topic is important for me, as this is remembered for an event that I have observed that patients can face morbidity and even mortality. It is important because we are here to provide proper care to the patient so that their health can be enhanced. Few unintentional mistakes can ruin the life of patients (Bryan et al., 2021). These are the most threatening error, these errors are global issue that can cause the increased length of hospital stay and an increase in mortality rate. There are various risk factors linked with medication errors such as an overburdened health care system and numerous prescribers (Gusain et al., 2020). This error can be avoidable by having good communication with doctors and fellow nurses. Error detection through the involvement of an effective reporting system supports encouraging safe practices in nursing and these medication errors are avoidable (Dirik et al., 2019).

 

Health care providers support improving and promoting safety for patients. Device-related concerns or errors should be immediately reported. With the improper prescription of medication, the patient had suffered a lot of problems and has worsened the condition of patient, therefore before providing the medication; it should be ensured what are side effects of medicines. These medicines can cause a rise in allergic reactions and can develop some other causes. Mandatory training is required to nursing staff in the health care system to ensure safeguards for various medications that can minimize errors. Following the cultural and ethical aspects will help in understanding the condition of patient efficiently and effectively. Good communication with medical professionals will help in minimizing the risk of medication errors.

 

There are several strategies that can help in reducing medication errors; using barcodes have great importance in the identification of the correct dosage form (Tariq & Sharma, 2018). It should be taken care of similar sounding words (LASA), these drugs are commonly available in generic form. Effective warning systems should be made (Bryan et al., 2021). The medication that is required for the patient should be double-checked and when there is repetition in medication error, factors causing this should be noted (Dirik et al., 2019). Dosage calculations should be ensured and this can be checked independently by the nurses before drug administration. Proper training and education are vital in minimizing medication errors. Miscommunication of drug orders should be avoided by avoiding appropriate abbreviations (Tariq & Sharma, 2018).

 

Bratch, R., & Pandit, J. J. (2021). An integrative review of method types used in the study of medication error during anaesthesia: implications for estimating incidence. British Journal of Anaesthesia, 127(3), 458-469. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0007091221003391

 

 

Bryan, R., Aronson, J. K., Williams, A., & Jordan, S. (2021). The problem of look‐alike, sound‐alike name errors: Drivers and solutions. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 87(2), 386-394. https://bpspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/bcp.14285

 

 

Dirik, H. F., Samur, M., Seren Intepeler, S., & Hewison, A. (2019). Nurses’ identification and reporting of medication errors. Journal of clinical nursing, 28(5-6), 931-938. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jocn.14716

 

 

Gusain, R., Kumar, N., & Ray, S. S. (2020). Recent advances in carbon nanomaterial-based adsorbents for water purification. Coordination Chemistry Reviews, 405, 213111. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010854519304771

 

 

Melnyk, B. M., Tan, A., Hsieh, A. P., Gawlik, K., Arslanian-Engoren, C., Braun, L. T., ... & Wilbur, J. (2021). Critical care nurses’ physical and mental health, worksite wellness support, and medical errors. American Journal of Critical Care, 30(3), 176-184. https://aacnjournals.org/ajcconline/article-abstract/30/3/176/31437

 

 

Rodziewicz, T. L., Houseman, B., & Hipskind, J. E. (2022). Medical error reduction and prevention. StatPearls [Internet]. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499956/

 

 

Tariq, R. A., & Sharma, S. (2018). Inappropriate Medical Abbreviations. https://europepmc.org/books/nbk519006

 

 

Wan, S., Gu, Z., & Ni, Q. (2020). Cognitive computing and wireless communications on the edge for healthcare service robots. Computer Communications, 149, 99-106. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140366419307960