Medication Errors

This research examines the issue of medication errors in health care institutional settings. Recent high profile cases of death and serious but lesser harm stemming from medication errors have alarmed the general public and prompted calls for corrective action (Altman C1; Brink 53; Cowley, Rosenberg, and Brant 54; Gorman 60). Errors in prescribing and administering medications occur at all hospitals in the United States according to the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (Assessing C8). One estimate is that medical errors, a broader term that included medical errors, results in up to 80,000 deaths each year in American hospitals (Gorman 60). One recent study found, however, that approximately 60 percent of all medication errors were caught before they reached the patient, and that another 37 percent of all medication errors caused no harm to the patient (Morrissey 76). Three-percent of all medication errors, however, did result in serious harm to the patient, and permanent harm occurred on 0.1 percent of all medication errors. Other studies, however, have found a much higher rate of permanent harm stemming from medication errors.

In the remainder of this examination of medication errors in health care institutional settings, the issue is considered within a nursing perspective. Types of medication errors are identified, nursing practices that either enhance or deter the probability of occurrence of medication

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en the time of administration of a prescribed drug occurs outside of the time boundaries established as acceptable for the drug within the context of the patient condition. An early administration can produced a rate-based medication error, while a late administration can reduce the effectiveness of the drug in treating the patient's condition. 7. Drug Preparation. Drug preparation-based medication errors occur when a drug is incorrectly formulated or manipulated prior to administration. These actions may occur in pharmacies or they may occur on wards as a consequence of nursing actions. 8. Administration Technique. Administration technique-based medication errors occur when either an inappropriate procedure and an improper technique is involved in the administration of a drug to a patient. Nurses play a prominent role in the commission of drug administration errors of this type. 9. Deteriorated Drug. Deteriorated drug-based medication errors occur when the physical or chemical integrity of a drug administered to a patient has been compromised. Age, improper storage, and careless handling contribute to such deteriorations. Practices That Either Enhance or Deter the Occurrence of Medication Errors One set of practice

Category: Medical - M