Medication Errors In Nursing

Medication errors are an unfortunate occurrence in medical settings all throughout the world. Despite the best efforts of both nurses and physicians, medication errors occur on a daily basis. A medication error is not simply giving the wrong medication, it may consist of giving a drug via the wrong route, at the wrong time, or at the wrong dose. Statistics reported often vary, however the Food and Drug Administration reports that at least seven thousand people die annually as the result of medication errors. Every patient is at risk for being the victim of at least one medication error (“Strategies,” n.d.).
Many factors contribute to medication errors. Among the most common are miscommunication among the health care team and nurses neglecting to follow institutional and professional policies, including the five rights of medication administration. Another cause is nurses being interrupted or distracted during medication administration or preparation. The nurse may need to halt preparing medications to take care of a secondary task, leading to multitasking which may contribute to an error in administration. Attending to a new, additional task increases the risk of an error with one or both tasks as the stress of the distraction or interruption causes cognitive fatigue, which may lead to an omission, mental lapse, and mistakes (“Side Tracks,” 2012).

Even if no harm befalls the patient, the nurse may find him or herself fearing for the patient’s safety, their own personal liability, and fearing any possible consequences. The American Nurses Association states that in the vast majority of cases, medication errors cause no harm to the patient, yet often cause the nurse to question their clinical confidence, fear for the patient’s safety, and fear personal consequences (“Near Misses,”