medical error injection

[jennifer009]

Hello I am new here and sorta new in the field.. I was supposed to give a patient an injection and gave a PPD medication instead of the flu vaccine and then i didnt realize it again on another patient! Both patients had bigger arms..but only one i was aware when the patient was still in the office! The dr said they she will be ok. So i reported one instead of both. my friends say she should be ok.. but i still have a bad feeling, besides the fact i messed up.

[ausrnurse]

The casual way this was brought up by the OP and one of the other posters here is really disturbing. Discussing it as if "It was only a medication error.."

[krisiepoo]

yikes yikes and double yikes... it would be good to know what your role is at this office.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

I think the OP has left the building. We will likely never know whether s/he is an untrained medical assistant who gives "shots" or if those other people who told her "no big deal" are MAs too. My guess is that none of them are actual nurses.

[cjoy55]

I think the OP has left the building. We will likely never know whether s/he is an untrained medical assistant who gives "shots" or if those other people who told her "no big deal" are MAs too. My guess is that none of them are actual nurses.

This is scary! I know we are all human and make mistakes but as a 4th semester student I double, triple check what I am giving. If I made a mistake I would say so immediately!! Isn't that what we are here for? To take care of people.

[ICULINDA]

Wow! If I was the patient I would be more upset that you covered it up! It's not your place to decide the best course of action. Fess up and report it. I guess it's a good thing I don't know who or what office you work because I would report it. Makes me wonder what else your willing to cover up if your friends say eh it's ok.

[andi.w]

I think that a lot of RNs have or will make a med error at some point, whether big or small. I've made med errors before; it feels TERRIBLE. And as terrible as it feels, at the same time, it feels so much better to fess up and get it off your chest. The patient is always the priority. Immediately reporting the incident to your supervisor also says a great deal to them about your character and professionalism. Many facilities also have a way of reporting the error to the patient without the nurse directly having to be involved.

In my state, a lot of offices and urgent care centers allow CMAs to deliver injections after a clinician or licensed provider has drawn the medication up. This has always made me a little uneasy. As an RN, it had always been drilled into my brain that you never administer a medication that has already been opened or that someone else has drawn up, unless you witness them doing it and are able to check the 5 rights yourself.

When drawing up injections from a multi-dose vial, I will sometimes even have another RN witness with me just for my own peace of mind, even if the med doesn't require a double check of a second RN.

[liketheairport]

...whenever I have any vaccinations or any needles near me my doctor's office, they always ask my name and birthdate. Flu shots, blood draw, whatever. When I got my flu vaccine at Walgreens they even asked me my name and birthdate.

This really ought to be reported. Better to report it NOW than have it come out later, mostly for the patients' safety. Hopefully the patients are OK. What if someone had a really bad reaction to the PPD? You'd be responsible.