Medication Errors in nursing are common place, it is estimated that only 25% of medication errors are ever reported. Medication errors can kill patients. What can we do to prevent them from occurring? Nurses do get terminated for medication errors.
NursesGeneral NursingArticle
Number 5 in my series of Articles about the top ten things to get fired, discusses medication errors.
Making mistakes in health care tends to be frowned upon more than any other career, the general public simply do not tolerate any form of mistakes which could threaten the life of their love one, or anything which could disfigure or cause pain and discomfort.
We are only human, and humans make mistakes, this is not taken into consideration when you make a mistake in the hospital. Upper management will act swiftly.
Nurses do get terminated quickly when mistakes happen, especially when a death occurs. It is the first response by management and the legal department of the hospital. At times the error is investigated, with the RN in question being suspended-normally without pay.
Times are changing, with Hospitals encouraging staff to report near misses and errors, with the aim to prevent medication errors
Encouragement to self-report medication errors is more often seen in hospitals these days, with reports going to the risk management department who investigate the probability of it happening again. Often policy and procedures/protocols/guidelines will be implemented or changed to prevent further occurrences.
Root cause analysis is used to identify the problem, question why it happened and how to prevent recurrences.
Nurses remain reluctant to report medication errors for fear of retaliation; many errors will often go unreported if there is no harm.
Research has shown medication errors increase when work more than 12 hours.
Medication errors are the second leading cause of lawsuits in the US.
It is estimated that only 25% of medication errors are reported!
Quote
"Traditionally, malpractice suits were filed against mainly doctors, but today, more and more malpractice suits involve nurses. Nursing departments are often considered the backbone of a hospital, but the widespread nursing shortage has given nurses a heavier workload. A Journal of the American Medical Association article found that nurses with a heavier workload taking care of patients in hospitals resulted in the patient having a 31 percent higher risk of dying."
Always remember the five R's
Right patient
Check name bands do not give medication to a patient without a name band. Ask them their name and DOB if they are able to confirm-make sure the name band and the patient match up! Verify the patient details with the MAR. You can never be too careful. Check their allergies!
Right Drug
Make sure you have the correct drug! If the medication was dispensed out of the Pixis remember a human had to load the Pixis-they can make mistakes too!
Right Dose
Check to make sure you have the right strength of drug, the right amount of the drug and the expiry date of the drug. This is especially important if you are administering it IV. Know the therapeutic strength of the drug you are giving-double check orders.
Right time
Give drugs on time, check when the patient last had the drug. Giving a drug too soon can have serious consequences and potentially lead to overdose. Giving a drug too late is not therapeutic.
Right Route
Make sure you know if drug is to be given orally, PR, PV, SC, IM, IV and so on! There are many routes drugs can be given. IV drug errors are instant and very difficult to reverse. Respect medication which is given IV-our drugs tend to be powerful.
If you follow these simple guidelines you can potentially eliminate errors!
If you don't know the drug you are giving, find out. Do not give a drug you do not know without educating yourself. Read the insert, ask the Pharmacy department, search the internet, ask the doctor, ask the charge nurse. Familiarize yourself with alternate names, strengths, side effects.
