Why Is Medication Safety Important

Medication Safety
Introduction
When an individual is sick or injured and visits a hospital, medication plays an important role in their recovery. Nurses play a vital role in the administration of medication in the clinical setting and surprisingly there are many errors that occur that could result in more complications or even death. On average hospitalized patients experience one medication error per day (Xu, et al, 2014, p. 286). There are many reasons as to why errors occur but there are also many different ways to prevent those errors from happening. It takes a lot of knowledge and focus to ensure errors are kept at a minimum to none. Through extensive research, there are several procedures that need to be taken to ensure the safe keep of each patient. With knowledge and practice with equipment, policies, and practices nurses are able to decrease medication errors.
Nurses Involvement
Providers are the individuals who prescribe medication. There are many different ways that providers are able to order medication; through a computerized software, through
telephone, or verbally to nurse. If an order is taken over the telephone or verbally the nurse who received the order repeats it back to the provider to ensure the accuracy and confirm that the order is what the provider wanted and for the right patient (Athanasakis, 2012, p. 777). Before administering medications a nurse should ensure that they are administering the medication to the right patient. Double-checking the medication is also important to ensure the provider has not made a mistake while prescribing and to prevent the nurse from making an administration error (Schwappach, et al. 2016). While double-checking a nurse should also review the patients allergies to ensure that the patient is not allergic to the medication prescribed.
If a nurse notices that information is missing with a medication order the nurse will need to halt the administration of the medication and contact the provider who prescribed the medication. The nurse should bring up the concerns that they have along with verification of what the provider meant for the order. If the provider verified or prescribed the order verbally or telephonically the nurse needs to document if it was a telephone order or verbal order along with the full order, providers name, date and time, along with the nurses name (Athanasakis, 2012, p. 777). If a provider prescribes a medication that the patient is allergic to, the nurse needs to contact the provider and obtain an order for a new medication since the patient cannot take a medication they are allergic to. Discovering a medication error prior to reaching a patient is considered a near-miss event and should be reported appropriately (Durham, 2015, p.1).
Promoting Medication Safety
Equipment
With technology advancing in healthcare, there are more opportunities for advancements within patient care and medication safety.
Computerized orders allow the opportunity for providers to send prescriptions to a nurse more quickly and efficiently versus other methods. The electronic medical system allows nurses to retrieve essential information about medications that they may need regarding certain medications to ensure that there are no contradictions with allergies, diagnosis, or anything that may lead to a medication error (Athanasakis, 2012, p. 778). One system that improves medication safety is automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs) by reducing medication administration errors (Oldland, et al., 2015). A pharmacy technician checks all of the medications ensuring that the medications are in the right location along with the right dose which aids nurses while administrating medication (Oldland, et al.,
2015).
Policies
Policies are in place to promote medication safety and prevent medication errors as much as possible. Implementation of the “six rights of medication administration” include; right medication, right dose, right route, right time, right patient, and right documentation (Xu, et al., 2014, p.287). By implementing the six rights of medication administration nurses will be promoting safety with safe precautions and policies to reduce medication errors.
Procedures
Double-checking procedures are implemented by having two different health care professionals recheck medication prior to administration to minimize medication errors (Schwappach, 2016). Many times individuals are unable to see their own mistakes that they committed, by double-checking with another individual it allows multiple different view for errors. Medication errors can result in negative outcomes such as increased mortality and longer hospitalization (Xu, et al., 2014, p. 287). Double-checking medication can increase patient’s health and decrease the possibility for medical errors to occur.
Article Contribution to Medication Safety The importance of preventing medication errors for nurses are substantial due to they is the ones who consistently administer medications (Durham, 2015, p. 1). Not one individual is perfect, which is why error free performance does not generally occur. Nurses should always have integrity and a good foundation of knowledge of the policies, procedures, and factors that are involved with medication administration. By ensuring that one reports errors, recognizes perceptual factors, having knowledge of pharmacology, and recognition that the human mind is fallible, its prone to have mistakes, can allow nurses to feel as if they are in a safe environment to ask for help when needed. Durham (2015) made it aware that by being aware of error-prone conditions and recognizing what contributes to the administration process can increase patient’s safety. Patient care is not dependent on one individual, it is a collaborative teamwork that should be approached with care to ensure optimal patient care and safety (Durham, 2015, p. 3).
Conclusion
Medication errors can lead to detrimental setbacks in a patient’s recovery. Knowledge and awareness of medication errors can equip a health care professional to prevent any errors. Being aware of the process that is involved with orders and prescriptions, along with being able to spot out any inconsistencies will enable a nurse to prevent administration errors on their behalf. With technology becoming integrated within healthcare, being aware of the resources and applying them to practice can allow decreased errors with organization along with documentation. Knowledge on different policies and procedures that are involved with medication administration