Introduction
The paper discusses medication errors and their importance in nursing practice. First of all, we all know that human health is a critical factor in today’s life. Multiple attempts are made to protect health, prevent diseases, and define the most effective recommendations. People expect professional health care, and nurses are healthcare providers responsible for safety and help. Still, despite the level of education and professionalism, people are prone to making mistakes. In nursing, medication errors are dangerous, and their outcomes seriously affect human health. Thus, it is necessary to examine this concept and learn how to predict medication errors.
Medication Error: Definition
Most organizations, students, and healthcare providers address the definition of a medication error given by the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCCMERP). It is said that this error can be “any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the healthcare professional, patient, or consumer” (NCCMERP, 2015, as cited in U.S. Food & Drug Administration [FDA], 2019, para. 1). With the help of such a clear and specific explanation, nurses identify the possibility of error prevention, its impact on patients, and the level of their responsibility.
Statistics
Today, many credible sources can be used to gather current information about medication errors and their prevalence in the United States and globally. The SingleCare Team (2022) offers a report based on the findings from the FDA, the Patient Safety Network, the Archives of Internal Medicine, and other medical, nursing, and healthcare journals. There are three main reasons to consider a medication error a critical issue: costs, people, and scope. The government needs to spend about $40 billion to cover the effects of medication errors and $21 billion to prevent these errors annually (SingleCare Team, 2022). Medication errors are the 8th leading cause of death, and more than 7000 Americans die annually (SingleCare Team, 2022). To deal with the problem, the FDA investigates more than 100,000 incident reports annually, proving that more than 10% of errors occur in hospital environments, while 10% of medications remain counterfeit (SingleCare Team, 2022). All these facts prove that medication errors should not be ignored.
Importance of the Topic
There are many reasons for choosing medication errors as a topic for a new discussion. I would like to focus on four issues that have attracted my attention after thorough research. First, it is wrong to neglect that most people remain unaware of such errors due to poor education, communication, and cooperation with nurses (Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy, 2019). Second, types and attitudes toward medication errors vary, and it is important to learn the conditions under which experts can make mistakes. Another critical aspect is the possibility of prevention because students, researchers, and healthcare facilities are constantly involved in developing new strategies and alternatives. Finally, medication errors are associated with severe outcomes, and people should not find excuses for their mistakes but offer solutions.
Causes and Factors
Although medication errors can be prevented, certain administrative and personal factors might emerge. At the initial stage, healthcare providers may give incorrect diagnoses, leading to inappropriate drug administration and use (SingleCare Team, 2022). About 43% of nurses do not communicate when they face concerns about medication choice (Tsegaye et al., 2020). Besides, not all patients understand the worth of each drug, and their poor awareness leads to new problems. Sometimes, it is hard to clarify the prescription content due to illegible handwriting (Tsegaye et al., 2020). Incorrect doses, routes, or timing can affect administration quality (Aseeri et al., 2020). Nurses may not focus on evaluations, which provokes further misunderstandings and care shortages. Finally, any nurse or patient is a human, and personal factors like unmanaged stress, anxiety, or overloading challenge medication administration.
Types of Medication Errors
Medication errors vary, and nurses must learn what types are more common in their practice. Sometimes, an omission occurs when nurses fail to follow prescriptions, patients do not follow recommendations at home, or pharmacists misunderstand information (Alqenae et al., 2020; Aseeri et al., 2020). Medication errors like choosing the wrong doses and routes may be related to nurses’ limited knowledge or skills. Wrong patients, assessments, and prescriptions are not always possible to predict (Lamas, 2022). Besides, many counterfeit drugs are distributed, and people cannot recognize the drug quality at hand (SingleCare Team, 2022). All these errors happen at home or in hospitals and affect care and healing.
Patient Safety
There is a close relationship between such concepts as “medication errors” and “patient safety.” In many cases, medication errors occur in hospitals, and nurses can make mistakes that affect care. However, nurses have a responsibility to improve patient safety and offer the best care services. Thus, it is correct to say that when people consider patient safety, no medication errors turn out to be one of the major expectations in patient care.
Prevention
Considering the prevalence and impact of medication error as a preventable event, people should know what steps to take to reduce such mistakes in care processes. The initial recommendations are based on academic improvements for nurses and patients. When people are aware of medication errors, their characteristics, and their causes, they get more chances to avoid them (Afaya et al., 2021). New drugs continue emerging, and updated information about their effects and components is required. Besides, communication between patients and healthcare providers is another way to prevent medication errors. Data exchange allows for covering unclear points and avoiding misunderstandings. Drug organization is a crucial step in improving barcoding and storage conditions (Ciapponi et al., 2021). Nurses should not forget about feedback and dispensing systems to share their findings and control activities (Ciapponi et al., 2021). Finally, people should not be afraid of severe punishment related to medication errors, and reducing severe punitive measures is a solution (Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy, 2019). All these steps introduce a clear way for a new preventive program to deal with medication errors in health and nursing care.
The Role of Healthcare Providers
The prevention of medication errors is one of the major responsibilities among nurses. The basic tips are to recognize and follow the principles of safety culture and support patients. It is not enough to communicate with patients and their families but ensure that enough information is given to maintain treatment (Tsegaye et al., 2020). Thus, education and cooperation are highly recommended, and nurses must share their knowledge with people using simple words and explanations. In addition, nurses should report mistakes as soon as possible to predict complications and find solutions (Afaya et al., 2021). Even if a nurse is confident about the chosen medication, it is necessary to check each step once again, including the dosage, route, timing, and patient. The last task is to be focused on the task, meaning dealing with personal issues (anxiety, fear, or stress) and other external factors preventing successful completion.
The Role of Patients
Patients suffers from medication errors the most because their health depends on the quality of drug administration. They need to understand that they are direct participants in any care process and the main sources of information for healthcare providers. Thus, their roles are to observe changes and report them as soon as possible. There is no way for a patient to change a treatment plan and replace drugs – following the prescription is obligatory. Therefore, no independent decisions based on Internet sources or friends’ advice are allowed. Patients have the ultimate right to ask questions when they do not understand something and want to know more about the drug. If these recommendations are followed, the prediction of medication errors can be observed.
Expected Outcomes
The analysis of medication errors represents a solid topic in the nursing field. Understanding how these mistakes emerge and affect human health will help to achieve several positive outcomes. First, the reduction of medication errors is evident because people rely on their knowledge and experiences. Patient safety will be improved because all care participants will start cooperating and sharing their knowledge. Effective information exchange is the achievement that reduces misunderstandings and facilitates care services.
Conclusion
At the end of this presentation, several conclusions should be made. First, a medication error is clearly defined, helping people recognize it in a healthcare setting. Many factors and types of medication errors must be recognized and examined. Many severe mistakes can be prevented if patients and nurses learn their roles and responsibilities. If all recommendations are followed, positive outcomes will be achieved with time.
References
Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy. (2019). Medication errors. AMCP. Web.
Afaya, A., Konlan, K. D., & Kim Do, H. (2021). Improving patient safety through identifying barriers to reporting medication administration errors among nurses: An integrative review. BMC Health Services Research, 21(1). Web.
Alqenae, F. A., Steinke, D., & Keers, R. N. (2020). Prevalence and nature of medication errors and medication-related harm following discharge from hospital to community settings: A systematic review. Drug Safety, 43(6), 517-537. Web.
Aseeri, M., Banasser, G., Baduhduh, O., Baksh, S., & Ghalibi, N. (2020). Evaluation of medication error incident reports at a tertiary care hospital. Pharmacy, 8(2). Web.
Ciapponi, A., Nievas, S. E. F., Seijo, M., Rodríguez, M. B., Vietto, V., García-Perdomo, H. A., Virgilio, S., Fajreldines, A. V., Tost, J., Rose, C. J., & Garcia-Elorrio, E. (2021). Reducing medication errors for adults in hospital settings. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 11. Web.
Lamas, D. J. (2022). The cruel lesson of a single medical mistake. The New York Times. Web.
SingleCare Team. (2022). Medication errors statistics 2022. SingleCare. Web.
Tsegaye, D., Alem, G., Tessema, Z., & Alebachew, W. (2020). Medication administration errors and associated factors among nurses. International Journal of General Medicine, 13, 1621-1632. Web.
U.S. Food & Drug Administration. (2019). Working to reduce medication errors. FDA. Web.