Med Errors

Nurses Medications

Published

For our collective benefit, list some of the med errors you've seen committed or caught before they were committed.

The only rules are:

1. No blaming.

2. No naming names.

3. State what the error was.

Examples:

1. Mag and KCl hanging without a pump. ---Both need to be administered on a pump.

2. Regular insulin, pulled up in mg's, not units ---Self-explanatory.

3. Digoxin 0.125 mg po qd ----Given with an apical HR of 42.

4. Order for Vistaril IV ---Never give Vistaril IV.

5. Lopressor 25 mg po bid, 1 tab ----Pt. got 50 mg. because this med only comes in 50 mg tabs and should've read "1/2 tab."

6. PRBCs hung over the 4 hour limit. PRBCs piggybacked into ABTs. ---PRBC total hang time may not exceed 4 hours. This might include time taken from the blood bank in some facilities. ---Never piggyback anything into PRBCs.

7. PRBCs not hung for over 24h with a Hgb of 6.8.

8. "Demerol 100 mg. IVP q2h prn" --Classic case of "too much, too soon."

9. "Percocet 1-2 tabs po q4h prn, Darvocet N-100 1-2 tabs po q4h prn, Tylenol ES gr. X q4-6 h prn" ---Tylenol can potentially exceed 4 gm/day max.

10. Dilantin piggybacked into D5. ---NS yes, D5 no.

Specializes in Psychiatry and addictions.

Ok, this one was my bad. At the LTC facility where I worked we got the pre-printed MAR's around the 24th of the month or so, and they had to be edited by the last day of the month. On the unit where I worked they were never finished on time, leaving the 11p-7a nurse who worked on changeover night to finish whatever editing wasn't done before they could start changeover. Mind you, we couldn't even flag 12am meds until we changed over the MAR's for 45 residents. One night I showed up and there were still about ten residents MAR's that hadn't even been looked at. I checked them against the old ones as quickly as I could. 6 wks later a resident went to the hospital for a psych issue and we were contacted by DPH. That resident was on sulfaSALazine daily for colitis had been switched accidently to sulfaDIazine (an Abx) and was on the wrong med for 6 weeks. The pharmacy had misprinted the new MAR and I hadn't caught it. Then they sent the wrong drug, and I noticed the change (pill looked different) but since it matched the current (wrong) MAR, didn't investigate furthur. Fortunately she wasn't hurt. When the DPH investigator interviewed me I was very honest. I said "The first error was with the pharmacy, the 2nd was mine". They changed the way editing was done after that, actually followed the existing protocol that required 2 nurses to check each MAR.

Working at a jail I had a complete brain fart and gave PCN ordered after a dental extraction to someone whose chart clearly said "allergic to PCN". Fortunately the inmate turned out to not really be allergic. I had to sit with him all night holding an epi pen though just in case.

This one happened to me. It's kinda funny.... I had thrush from not swishing enough after using my Flovent. Called my PCP (who was a bit of a doofus) and asked for Mycelex oral lozenges to be called in. When I picked them up they were the lady partsl troches (I noticed before I put it in my mouth, thank god). When I got home I called the office and said to the nurse "um... he got the med right but he called it in for the wrong orifice" She stifled a giggle and politely asked, "He's here, can I put you on speaker phone?" Since I too was highly amused I consented and then repeated myself, apparently to the MD and ALL the office nurses. They were all still laughing pretty hard when we got off the phone. I think I made their day :chuckle

Specializes in Geriatrics, DD, Peri-op.
Now com'on people, since when does the medical profession give adults a baby bottle of salty solution with a long hard nipple and KY on the tip???

:chuckle

A certain nurse put ear wax drops in a patients' eyes thinking they were actually eye drops....pharmacy had just switched brands of saline eye drops and they looked almost identical to the ear drops. Patient ended up ok but ear wax drops have a stronger percentage of hydrogen peroxide than the regular kind that you use to clean wounds (or whatever).

So, don't get in such a routine that you don't check those labels.

Specializes in Pediatrics.

Oral Tylenol or Motrin, I forget which, pushed through an IV line!!! :uhoh3:

That patient certainly spent some unanticipated time in ICU!!!

And also... using ostomy paste for diaper rash ointment... oops :) I know the nurse who did this and she laughs about it now. She is a wonderful nurse.

Nurse leaves original order on MAR after pharmacy sent a different concentration of the same med. Med was given 2 or 3 days before someone caught the error. Fortunately no harm was done. Even though the concentration of the med exceeded what was to be given it turned out the resident needed a lot more of the pain med (res. dying and in a lot of pain and discomfort) and it was ok with family. Strange turn of event.

Specializes in Pediatrics.
oral tylenol or motrin, i forget which, pushed through an iv line!!! :uhoh3:

that patient certainly spent some unanticipated time in icu!!!

if i had a nickel for every patient that has said to me 'can't you put that in the iv', or if i could come up with the iv equivelant...i'd be a millionare!!!!

i guess you can't put it in the iv :smackingf :chuckle

Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.
Years ago, I worked with a new graduate Practical Nurse who gave a patient two vials of Dilaudid 'IM'. The order called for Dilaudid gr.1/64 'IM' PRN, and the vials were labeled 1 cc = gr.1/32. Instead of giving one-half of a vial (0.5 cc), she got mixed up and gave 2 cc. Her patient coded, but survived, thank God. I can't say the same for her nurse, who was immediately demoted to an Aide and was never allowed to practice again. It was so scary, and I felt terrible for her. It could have happened to me...or any of us. :o

CseMgr, I understand the error & the faulty math that caused it. I'm just curious about the dosage of Dilaudid that had such an effect on the pt. -- what's the equivalent in milligrams to the 1/16 gr. that the pt. received? I work in the ER, and it's not unheard of for a pt. to get up to 8mg of Dilaudid IV within a few hours time. Just curious ...

BTW: I'm reading this entire thread word for word -- as a new RN this stuff is enough to give me nightmares. :stone

Specializes in Pediatrics.
if i had a nickel for every patient that has said to me 'can't you put that in the iv', or if i could come up with the iv equivelant...i'd be a millionare!!!!

i guess you can't put it in the iv :smackingf :chuckle

i know... whoever someday comes up with iv tylenol or motrin, is going to be very rich! that would be such a good medicine.

This error wasn't made by me, but it occurred when I was working. We had a patient who got Theragesic cream (basically a very strong IcyHot) on her shoulders and under her shoulder blades before and after therapy. She also got buttpaste after every diaper change to the rectum and perineum. The tubes were VERY similar, and well... I heard the scream all the way down to my nurse station. NOT a fun situation!

I once gave my EMS partner Narcan via his conjunctiva. We were bouncing down the road with an unconscious overdose pt and we had just switched from prefilled Narcan to vials. I went to expel air from the syringe, the ambulance hit a bump and, although my partner was sitting on the bench seat on the opposite side of the pt, the trajectory and force were just right. I can't find anything about the ophthalmic absorption of Narcan, but my partner isn't into heroin, so it was a moot point.

Error waiting to happen: Res. has liquid potassium and lactulose in very similar containers. At first glance you couldn't tell them apart. KCL(7.5ml), lactulose (45ml). Can you imagine if they got mixed up?

Specializes in Psych, Informatics, Biostatistics.

[This quaternary care center of 650 beds and 8 ICUs does not have a pharmacist in house between 23 and 07 ever. If the med you need on nights isn't in your Pyxis, it might be in the "night cupboard". A security guard goes and gets it. Hmmm.

Just started work in psych. Our hospital of 200 beds has a pharmacist on at all times.

Specializes in Psych, Informatics, Biostatistics.
Note to all...

When applying or removing Nitro patches, wear gloves.

I was working in a nursing home and was dispensing meds to 75 patients at HS. I took off a guy's patch and continued on. I worked with one cna on nights. !

Sounds like Norwood Extended Care In Edmonton, though I realize it could be anywhere.

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