ER medication errrors

purplemania, BSN, RN · Mar 29, 2004

The ED is often hectic, and that may be as bad as having lots of patients. Last year we started a procedure whereby the nurse takes the MAR, or physician's order, into the room with the patient and reads the med as it is being administered. That makes it harder to give the med to the wrong patient. I hope an ER nurse can give you some pearls. It is impt, to me, to be working where I want to be.

teeituptom, BSN, RN · Mar 29, 2004

Your not a nurse untill you make an medication error

welcome to the ER

servant · Mar 30, 2004

I thank you for your thoughts. All of my gifts are congruent to skills needed for working in the ER. I also know many ER Doc's and Nurses are ADD. I was wounded by working in a very unorganised M/S unit as a new grad five years ago. I will get over this and face my fears. Thanks again.

teeituptom, BSN, RN · Mar 30, 2004

You have nothing to fear except fear itself

FDR

suzanne4, RN · Mar 30, 2004

You have everything to lose by not giving it a try.

Good luck to you................................................ :balloons:

servant · Mar 30, 2004

Here's an analogy for what it feels like to pass meds while "in the weeds." (Too many patients) It is like driving into a city that I have never driven in before. The signs become too numerous, routes become less obvious, the dagerous areas of town more proximal and eventually ??? Who has not been lost while driving in a city and ended up in the wrong part of town?

teeituptom, BSN, RN · Mar 30, 2004

Here's an analogy for what it feels like to pass meds while "in the weeds." (Too many patients) It is like driving into a city that I have never driven in before. The signs become too numerous, routes become less obvious, the dagerous areas of town more proximal and eventually ??? Who has not been lost while driving in a city and ended up in the wrong part of town?

Do one thing at a time,

One step at a time

servant · Mar 30, 2004

Advise taken, and only one thing to do. Jump in.

c.wicks · Mar 30, 2004

To err is human....................Only some of us are more human than others.

I'm sure some of you can relate, and those that can't..... well..... this might explain why we are the way we are.......

Recently, I was diagnosed with A. A. A. D. D. (Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder).

This is how it manifests:

I decide to wash my car. As I start toward the garage, I notice that there is mail on

the hall table. I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.

I lay my car keys down on the table, put the junk mail in the trash can under the table, and notice that the trash can is full, so I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the trash first.

But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the trash anyway, I may as well pay the bills first.

I take my checkbook off the table, and see that there is only one check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go to my desk where I find the can of Coke that I had been drinking.

I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Coke aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over. I see that the Coke is getting warm, and I decide I should put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I head toward the kitchen with the coke a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye--they need to be watered. I set the Coke down on the counter, and I discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning. I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers.

I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly I spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table.

I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I will be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers.

I splash some water on the flowers, but most of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back down on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill.

Then I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day: the car isn't washed, the bills aren't paid, there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter, the flowers aren't watered, there is still only one

check in my checkbook, I can't find the remote, I can't find my glasses, and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day long, and I'm really tired.

I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail.

And that's when I came across your previous post.

Now.....Where was I???????????????????????????

Don't laugh -- if this isn't you yet, your day is coming!

teeituptom, BSN, RN · Mar 31, 2004

I like that

A.A.A.D.D.

now all the oldies will come into ER claiming that now rather than senility or whatever

Stitchie · Mar 31, 2004

To err is human....................Only some of us are more human than others.
I'm sure some of you can relate, and those that can't..... well..... this might explain why we are the way we are.......
Recently, I was diagnosed with A. A. A. D. D. (Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder).
This is how it manifests:
I decide to wash my car. As I start toward the garage, I notice that there is mail on
the hall table. I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.
I lay my car keys down on the table, put the junk mail in the trash can under the table, and notice that the trash can is full, so I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the trash first.
But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the trash anyway, I may as well pay the bills first.
I take my checkbook off the table, and see that there is only one check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go to my desk where I find the can of Coke that I had been drinking.
I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Coke aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over. I see that the Coke is getting warm, and I decide I should put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.
As I head toward the kitchen with the coke a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye--they need to be watered. I set the Coke down on the counter, and I discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning. I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers.
I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly I spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table.
I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I will be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers.
I splash some water on the flowers, but most of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back down on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill.
Then I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.
At the end of the day: the car isn't washed, the bills aren't paid, there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter, the flowers aren't watered, there is still only one
check in my checkbook, I can't find the remote, I can't find my glasses, and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.
Then when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day long, and I'm really tired.
I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail.
And that's when I came across your previous post.
Now.....Where was I???????????????????????????
Don't laugh -- if this isn't you yet, your day is coming!

Just a normal day for me!