Wrong injection!

KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN · Mar 10, 2016

1). It is still a med mistake.

2). If patient signed consent for TD and got TDaP, it is, by the word of law, consent violation and negligence. If a patient consents on, say, mole removal and then surgeon found the mole being malignant and performed wide excision and lymph node dissection instead of simply removing it, he could save the patient's life all the way but by law it will be criminal act.

3). if patient has autoimmune disease or hyperactive immune system, additional component of a vaccine may cause harm. Many of such patients are not diagnosed and do not know about their condition till they become symptomatic.

In any case, patient must be informed about the wrong vaccine he received, as a bare minimum of action.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Mar 10, 2016

It may be a systems error; learn from it and help improve the process.

I concur. There can be a silver lining to errors and mistakes if we learn valuable lessons from them. Errors can be the springboard to professional growth when analyzed in retrospect.

FL_Nurse92 · Mar 14, 2016

Are you not required to scan the patients identification bracelet and the med (or in your case vaccine) to be given?

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Mar 15, 2016

Are you not required to scan the patients identification bracelet and the med (or in your case vaccine) to be given?

If this person is in a setting such as a provider's office; then scanning usually doesn't happen.

APRN., DNP, RN, APRN, NP · Mar 15, 2016

As the title says, I administered a wrong injection! After going through the initial shock stages, crying, shaming myself, and all other negativity emotional primal reactions, I am now seeking rational answers
The case: I administered a T-DAP, not a TD. The order was for a TD. I accidentally gave a TDAP
Health professionals I ask you this: Is there that much of a difference in the two vaccines? I mean technically didnt the patient get "Extra" vaccines (pertussis, diphtheria ON TOP of tetorifice)? So the pt needed TD- tetorifice, but instead got more for his buck so to say: the tetorifice, diptheria AND pertussis.
What harm could be done??

I am going to presume that this is days, if not weeks past the event.

The gravest harm would have already happened: Immediate profound Anaphylactic Shock and death.

Based on your post(s), apparently, that was not the case.

What have you found out in YOUR research? Surely you've done quite a bit of personal discovery on this. Why don't you share what you have learned?

BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN · Mar 16, 2016

I get the impression that this happened in a clinic setting. Even so, scanning said bracelet doesn't physically stop a person from injecting the wrong med.

Are you not required to scan the patients identification bracelet and the med (or in your case vaccine) to be given?

FL_Nurse92 · Mar 16, 2016

If you scan a patient and scan a wrong Mrs the computer will say so, if you still chose to give the med well then we have a problem

APRN., DNP, RN, APRN, NP · Mar 16, 2016

If you scan a patient and scan a wrong Mrs the computer will say so, if you still chose to give the med well then we have a problem

I hate autocorrect. Lol.

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Mar 16, 2016

If you scan a patient and scan a wrong Mrs the computer will say so, if you still chose to give the med well then we have a problem

Meds can get discontinued and still be scannable; happened to me the other day I worked; thank goodness I cancelled and then saw the d/c order.

BCMA is not always foolproof.

ticurr9 · Nov 9, 2016

My feelings exactly Pasdequoi. Bravo!