Current Issues in Quality and Safety
Current Issues in Quality and Safety
Current Issues in Quality and Safety
The safety of medication administration has become a universal issue and crucial for one 's wellbeing. The majority of hospitalized patients are treated with medications (Agyemang & While, 2010). The medical treatment of patients has a direct effect on the patient 's quality of life. Srinivasan declared "patients have a right to know they are receiving safe care" (as cited by Zhani, 2012, p. 1). The purpose of this paper is to identify current quality and safety issues in healthcare, share the impact the issues have on health care delivery, identify quality improvement strategies, and to reveal a plan to implement quality improvement strategies.
The Safety and Quality Issue of Medication Errors
The Department of Health identifies the medication method as ordering, distributing, and administering medications. Bates expands the process to include medication transcription and discharge instructions. Fogarty and McKeon stated the main cause of unintentional injury to patients is medication errors (as cited by Agyemang & While, 2010). The National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention define medication errors as "preventable events that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm" (as cited by Thompson-Moore & Liebl, 2012, p. 431).
Medication Errors Impact on Health Care Delivery
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) reported an increase in medical errors within the healthcare industry. The report revealed a yearly range of 44, 000 to 98,000 patient deaths occurs due to medical errors (Geiter, 2012). The IOM acknowledged the harm of these deaths as unnecessary and preventable. There is no evidence to prove that the healthcare industry is doing anything to reduce these numbers. Data required to be reported by State laws are insufficient in establishing progress in decreasing these numbers. The IOM addresses medication
Current Issues in Quality and Safety
The safety of medication administration has become a universal issue and crucial for one 's wellbeing. The majority of hospitalized patients are treated with medications (Agyemang & While, 2010). The medical treatment of patients has a direct effect on the patient 's quality of life. Srinivasan declared "patients have a right to know they are receiving safe care" (as cited by Zhani, 2012, p. 1). The purpose of this paper is to identify current quality and safety issues in healthcare, share the impact the issues have on health care delivery, identify quality improvement strategies, and to reveal a plan to implement quality improvement strategies.
The Safety and Quality Issue of Medication Errors
The Department of Health identifies the medication method as ordering, distributing, and administering medications. Bates expands the process to include medication transcription and discharge instructions. Fogarty and McKeon stated the main cause of unintentional injury to patients is medication errors (as cited by Agyemang & While, 2010). The National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention define medication errors as "preventable events that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm" (as cited by Thompson-Moore & Liebl, 2012, p. 431).
Medication Errors Impact on Health Care Delivery
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) reported an increase in medical errors within the healthcare industry. The report revealed a yearly range of 44, 000 to 98,000 patient deaths occurs due to medical errors (Geiter, 2012). The IOM acknowledged the harm of these deaths as unnecessary and preventable. There is no evidence to prove that the healthcare industry is doing anything to reduce these numbers. Data required to be reported by State laws are insufficient in establishing progress in decreasing these numbers. The IOM addresses medication
References: Agyemang, R., & While, A. (2010). Medication errors: types, causes, and impact on nursing practice. British Journal of Nursing 19(6), 380-385 Geiter, H., Jr. (2012). Medication errors. Retrieved from http://www.nurse411.com/article_test.asp?article=Medication_Errors.asp Joint Commission. (2012). What did the doctor say?. Retrieved from http://www.jointcommission.org/assets/1/18/improving_health_literacy.pdf Safe Patient Project. (2009). To Err is human-to delay is deadly: Ten years later, a million lives lost, billions of dollars wasted. Consumer Reports Health. Retrieved from http://safepatientproject.org/safepatientproject.org/pdf/safepatientproject.org- ToDelayIsDeadly.pdf Thompson-Moore, N., & Liebl, M. (2012). Health systems vulnerabilities: Understanding the root causes patient harm. Am J Health-Syst Pharm, 69, 431-6