non-punative med error reporting

I would like to know if anyone uses a non punative med error report.

If we want nurses and docs to report med errors there needs to be no punishment. Because of fear we dont report the mistakes.

We need to understand why these mistakes are happening.

Could it be a the system? The person? The staffing?

The only way we can fix a problem is to know about it.

What do you think?

[tonchitoRN]

This is a great idea. One of my strengths as a nurse was being able to go through the chart and find those errors in meds and labs. You would be amazed at what I would find. Granted nothing that killed but who knows later. i.e. med orders never carried out for days at a time, labs never done etc. I would estimate at lease 25% of the patients I took care of had at least one error. That to me is very high. Every once in a while I would fill out an incidence report but only rarely because I felt like no one cared. In fact I am sure my nurse mgr. did not appreciate it because it meant extra work for her. So most of the time I just corrected the error and let it go like that.

[CEN35]

I choose recognition from management. Why? Because with recognition form management, about what we deal with, our nurse to patient ratios, etc. the other three could all be acheived. I truly think......that increased money from within the hospital would keep more people in house and out of agency.

HOWEVER, I also think no matter how much money somebody makes, if the nurse to patient ratios can't be bettered, and management fails to recognize what they have.....money will not fix everything. Unfotunately for most people, money is a temporary fix.....and UNLESS and only UNLESS the increased money, was so you could work less days.....it isnt going to help.

We have all seen the UAW and everybody else like them, hold out for more.....then three yeasr later 5% a year isnt enough so they hold out for more once again. EVERYBODY ALWAYS WANTS MORE! It's the way society is today in the USA anyways.

That doesn't mean I think nurses are paid well. We certainly all should be making 60,000-75,000 a year, without having to go to an agency to try and suck the hospital of its cash.

Just a thought......ok I am off my soapbox now!

me :)