I recently wrote a paper in my Intro Nursing Class on Medication Errors. I included numerous studies, and general information on the what, when, why, when and where. I'm now going to be doing a group presentation on the topic, and I thought it would be a nice addition to the project to get input from actual nurses on the Why.
So, if you wouldn't mind obliging, could you please share why you believe that medication errors are still such a problem today?
Specializes in med-surg, teaching, cardiac, priv. duty.
1. can't read the doc's hand writing takes 3 people including the pharmacist to decide what is it.
2. computers going down so all the meds faxed to pharmacy are behind.
3. pt is off floor not 1x but 4x to other dept for test.
4. no home med sheet filled out and then realized it 2 shifts later when doing chart checks.
5. pulling meds and get interupted way too many times cause a family needs a nurse for mom or dad asap!, it can't wait!
6. lab phones to ask if mr j got k+ becuase he k level is up from 3.0 to 3.6, come on people.
7. the unit clerk is constantly paging your pager for whatever reason.
8. cause we are human, over worked, under staffed and pulled in 12 directions at one time will trying to take care of 8 pts.
thanks for this real world of nursing perspective! i agree 1000%!!! i'd say that the majority of med errors are not due to incompetence on the part of the nurse. most nurses are knowledgeable. more classes (on pharmacology or on "preventing med errors") will not help prevent med-errors. instead it is the chaotic, hectic, short-staffed, over-worked environments that we are forced to work in as nurses! improve nursing work environments - like better nurse to patient ratios - and med errors will go way down. all the med knowledge and "error prevention" strategies in the world won't help when you have nurses burdened with too many responsibilities....
most of the nurses i worked with have all admitted that they are passing 9 am meds from 8am til lunch with all the interruptions and responsiblities. i don't know of any nurses that counted it as an error.
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try telling that to the stupid computer when you scan the meds, then the pts' id band and this little box pops up saying that this med should have been given at 10am:nono: it is now 1115 cause dear miss j takes 12 pills at 1000( and has to take 1 pill at a time, with a bite of cracker and a sip of water in between each pill! and you have several miss j's to still give meds too)( nope can't give at 8:59 0r 11:01) and then you have to stop and fill out another little box explaining why it wasn't given in the time frame of 1 hr before or 1 hour after cause now it show up as a med error:cry:
med error! that's what the computer system records and then management wants to know why, cause an incident report is also generated from the same system!!
ya, that's right. more frickin problems from admin. the med scanning system. but doesn't that take all day to pass meds now? i haven't had the pleasure but had training in it and it seems like a very lengthy process.
"a code blue is called then what?"
a code is a totally different interruption vs. having a family member come up to you when you are getting your meds out and ask when the doctor comes in or to be interrupted for a blanket or just to have a family member stand there and try to talk to you. or to have other staff members come up and ask if you know where a chart is or to get interrupted by family member after family member to ask how the patient did through the night (but they are there for a observation).
there are interruptions that need to be dealt with and interruptions that don't need to take place. seriously, if i am at a med cart getting meds out, about 99.9% of my interruptions can wait. i don't know how many times i have had to answer the phone while getting meds out and numberous times on just one patient.
scanning the meds....another reason i'm moving on.
having a family member come up to you when you are getting your meds out and ask when the doctor comes in or to be interrupted for a blanket or just to have a family member stand there and try to talk to you. or to have other staff members come up and ask if you know where a chart is or to get interrupted by family member after family member to ask how the patient did through the night (but they are there for a observation).doesn't matter, they the clients are customers and deserve our attention per admin folks!
then admin is told how rude you are for not taking care the client's needs and then here comes those little nasty grams:typing and inservices are on how to improve customer service!
there are interruptions that need to be dealt with and interruptions that don't need to take place. seriously, if i am at a med cart getting meds out, about 99.9% of my interruptions can wait. yes but pts and their families don't think so! they believe that their interrupts are of the up most important and admin:bowingpur to them and not their:nurse:'s or other staff!
scanning the meds....another reason i'm moving on
one of the main reasons i left bedside nursing along with being over worked, understaffed and under appreciated!
thanks for this real world of nursing perspective! i agree 1000%!!! i'd say that the majority of med errors are not due to incompetence on the part of the nurse. most nurses are knowledgeable.
more classes (on pharmacology or on "preventing med errors") will not help prevent med-errors. instead it is the chaotic, hectic, short-staffed, over-worked environments:bluecry1: that we are forced to work in as nurses! :banghead:improve nursing work environments:yeah: - like better nurse to patient ratios - and med errors will go way down. all the med knowledge and "error prevention" strategies in the world won't help when you have nurses burdened with too many responsibilities:yeah:
glad to know i am not the only one that sees nursing like this!
hello, I am currently writting a research paper on medication errors and would love some insight (references?). please contact me via PM or the email in my profile, Thanks!
it is now 1115 cause dear miss j takes 12 pills at 1000( and has to take 1 pill at a time, with a bite of cracker and a sip of water in between each pill! and you have several miss j's to still give meds too)( nope can't give at 8:59 0r 11:01) and then you have to stop and fill out another little box explaining why it wasn't given in the time frame of 1 hr before or 1 hour after cause now it show up as a med error:cry:
instead it is the chaotic,
hectic, short-staffed, over-worked environments:bluecry1: that we are forced to work in as nurses! :banghead:improve nursing work environments:yeah: - like better nurse to patient ratios 
ArwenEvenstar
308 Posts
thanks for this real world of nursing perspective! i agree 1000%!!! i'd say that the majority of med errors are not due to incompetence on the part of the nurse. most nurses are knowledgeable. more classes (on pharmacology or on "preventing med errors") will not help prevent med-errors. instead it is the chaotic, hectic, short-staffed, over-worked environments that we are forced to work in as nurses! improve nursing work environments - like better nurse to patient ratios - and med errors will go way down. all the med knowledge and "error prevention" strategies in the world won't help when you have nurses burdened with too many responsibilities....