Help!! Needed information to avoid medication errors!!

[johnnrachel]

Hi, I am currently in a nursing leadership class and one of the projects is to research other nurses and find out unique (or maybe not so unique) ideas to avoid medication errors. Please post what you personally utilize in your profession or even as a student in avoiding medication errors. Any ideas or system you have will benefit our class and all who read these posts. Thanks again.

[BornRN]

I have a 30 year career in nursing. I can count on one hand -- and remember distinctly, each medication error I ever made.

What's the trick to avoiding them? REMEMBER THE BASIC STEPS

Practice the 5 rights every time

Look at the med three times before it goes into the patient -- you know that check the med three times routing.

NEVER give a medication that you do not know about or have looked up before you give it. Usual dose range, purpose, action, side effects, monitoring to do. (I usually prefer to use a med handbook to look things up -- but the computer in our hospital provides a MedX which can be used.)

Good luck with your research project.

BornRN

Hi, I am currently in a nursing leadership class and one of the projects is to research other nurses and find out unique (or maybe not so unique) ideas to avoid medication errors. Please post what you personally utilize in your profession or even as a student in avoiding medication errors. Any ideas or system you have will benefit our class and all who read these posts. Thanks again.

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Wonderful info here at Institute for Safe Medication Practices -peer reviewed too! Check out their nursing newsletter

www.ismp.org