Medication error topics to write about?

[xmilkncookiesx, RN]

Hi all. My class is assigned to write a paper on medication errors and how technology can improve avoidance of medication errors

I wanted to touch base on everything, but it's too much. I need help on narrowing it down to one topic.

I initially was writing about the eight rights and was going to discuss each one and how they may be avoided, but it's too much and our page limit is 3 pages.

Any general topics I can write about? You don't need to go in depth, I do the research on it myself of course.

Thank you!

UPDATE: Oh, I was going to discuss prescription orders, but I could;t find ways to avoid them since they're prescribed through the system typed up. or physicians prescribe meds to patients on the prescription pad and are misread and then a lot of things happen. only way I think to avoid THAT, is to type the prescription up, use the 8 rights as well. but I felt thats too basic to type or not enough info :/

[la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN]

The ISMP comes up with a lot of medication error-related news and strategies and technologies that can be used to avoid them. Browse around here and see what you come up with: Institute For Safe Medication Practices

Hope that helps!

[AliNajaCat]

As an interesting example, one of my patients had a syncopal episode at work while driving his truck (!). His PCP had recently changed his antihypertensive med. The entry in his EHR read "(drug name) 1 tablet per day by oral route after meals." He took that to mean one tablet after all meals, which is clearly why he tanked his BP to 50/p and passed out, fortunately not hurting anybody in the process. The problem was that the EHR only gave the MA "after meals" as a choice in the dropdown menu, so even though the pharmacy caught it and put "Once a day with food" on the label, he was working off his patient teaching printout from the appointment.

Have I mentioned lately how I make part of my very decent living because of EHR errors?