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

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