reporting med errors

[paphgrl]

As long as nurses are afraid to discuss their med errors openly, they will keep happening, and patients will suffer.

How many med errors have you made in the last year? Did you report it? How were you treated? How does your facility handle med errors?

[sirI, MSN, APRN, NP]

Hello, paphgrl,

Check out these threads. Second one started in '04, but still current:

https://allnurses.com/forums/f8/errors-work-167085.html?highlight=Making+mistakes

https://allnurses.com/forums/f8/med-errors-86200.html?highlight=Mistakes

[gitterbug]

Giving meds is serious business, I do the 5 rights, triple check the order if it is something I have no experience with, and do not get pulled into floor events while giving meds unless it is a code situation or patient emergency.

Most facilities today want to concentrate on the reason an error was made rather than chop the nurses head off, but common sense needs to be used when giving meds. IF you don't know, call pharmacy, call the physician, call a supervisor, DO NOT give meds unless you know you are doing NO HARM to the patient and to your license.

[PANurseRN1]

And don't allow a marginally educated tech/aide give meds under your license. Nurses have enough to worry about making errors on their own without having to also bear the responsibility for minimally educated med techs/med aides.

Alway, always own up to a med error. I can't think of a single instance when covering over a mistake benefits the pt. or the nurse.

[Sunny01]

I never made a medication error and hope will never make one. I have been a nurse for 3 years now and double checking myself or checking with another nurse when needed has helped a lot.

I would report an error if I ever make one and I would look for ways to not let that ever happen again. I think making errors is human nature but we as nurses can't afford them especially when administering medication.

[Liliana98]

I would report it...as much as I would hate to admit I made an error, I think reporting it and taking action to correct any potential harm is the right thing to do.

[JFischer]

I am a night home health nurse. I read the chart including the doctor orders. The other nurses check off on the paperwork but don't read the orders. I find orders not sent into the office and orders that the staff are unaware of. I was called by my boss for a medication error. It had nothing to do with commission or omission of a drug order. My boss said I confused the day nurse when I showed her the orders in the chart that were not carried thru. My medication error is confusing the day nurse when I showed her doctor orders no one knew about. I can't understand why a nurse would be confused about written doctor orders and why is that my problem for showing her orders not picked up. I had not taken any action on these orders. What do you think of my boss?