Introduction: Background:
Medication errors are a major problem that provokes concerns about patient safety and quality throughout the healthcare system worldwide. Some mistakes can be made in the medication system at different points, for instance, how the medication has been prescribed until administration (Assiri ET AL., 2018). Mistakes in medication are often made with the wrong prescription of drugs, erroneous dosage administration, and also need to be more careful about drug interactions.
Healthcare institutions always try to ensure the improvement of patient care and the quality of the process by utilizing possibilities for reducing medication errors. Typically, these involve medications which essentially include protocols, guidelines, and technologies which are designed to ease the doctors in using the potentially dangerous medications safely and effectively. Nonetheless, medication errors are still a problem. Despite the efforts to review processes and replace resources, there still needs to be continuous quality improvement initiatives.
System:
The main concern of our healthcare system is to ensure patients’ safety and high-quality care. To this end, it works on medication error issues. As part of the process, we have successfully implemented several measures to combat medication errors, including integrated electronic order entry systems, a barcode medication administration, reconciliation process, along with regular training and staffing education.
While the steps being taken are appreciable, medicinal mistakes persist in the health care system, cohabiting along the line of thinking of the continuation of the quality initiative. Via the application of individual diagnosis of medication error mistakes, distribution of target safety effective points and execution of a regular trial our aim includes improvement of the level of medication safety of the patients.
Description and Scope of Issue:
Adverse effects of the medications have a huge impact on patients’ safety and a great loss in the effectiveness of the quality treatment. The finalizing of the solution will occur by introducing the barcode medication administration technology to cut errors and increase the efficiency of patient care (Macias, 2018).
Stakeholder Identification:
The main stakeholders comprise nurses, doctors, pharmacists, IT staff, patients and other individuals who may have things to do with medical care. To make the improvement program successful and sustainable, both internal (worker, management) and external (government agencies) stakeholders must be represented.
Proposed Evaluation of the Improvement Effort:
We will collect data on the medication error rate before and after the method introduction, modern device usability, and patient performance and results. Ethical aspects are maintaining the patient’s privacy as well as the consent before the therapy procedure. On the other hand, legal issues may include following HIPAA rules. Share of the outcomes will be through staff meetings, emails and memos.
Sustainability:
The tactics for sustainability will involve staff training and retraining on a sustainable basis, regular audits of the drug administration processes and continuous feedback mechanisms. Implementation will be conducted according to the PDSA cycle to ensure smooth progress and to identify and correct flaws when needed (Katowa-Mukwato et al., 2021).
Conclusion:
The process of planning for quality improvement work, organizing and undertaking an issue assessment, selecting stakeholders and choosing between the evaluation methods and sustainability strategies deserves close attention. Throughout my experience as a nurse leader, I have come to understand that the correct use of collaboration, data-driven decision making and continuous improvement characterizes effective leadership. This experience will be the basis of the course that I will take on being a nurse leader which will help me to implement quality improvement efforts that are evidence-based, all-inclusive and sustainable.
Furthermore, barcode medicine administration technology is an integral part of a higher-quality system of care, patient health and safety protection. Through the engagement of all stakeholders in the process of data collection and analysis, as well as with special attention to the sustainability factor, we are able to make a difference in the medication error-index and create support for improvements in patient care.
References
Assiri, G. A., Shebl, N. A., Mahmoud, M. A., Aloudah, N., Grant, E., Aljadhey, H., & Sheikh, A. (2018). What is the epidemiology of medication errors, error-related adverse events and risk factors for errors in adults managed in community care contexts? A systematic review of the international literature. BMJ open, 8(5), e019101.
Katowa-Mukwato, P., Mwiinga-Kalusopa, V., Chitundu, K., Kanyanta, M., Chanda, D., Mwelwa, M. M., … & Carrier, J. (2021). Implementing evidence-based practice nursing using the PDSA model: Process, lessons and implications. International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences, 14, 100261.
Macias, M. (2018). Impact of a barcode medication administration system on patient safety. Number 1/January 2018, 45(1), E1-E13.
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