Annotated Bibliography: Improvement Plan

Improvement Plan

The improvement plan seeks to help nurses prevent medication administration errors. The program has been organized into three themes with four annotated sources each. The categories include causes of medication administration errors, evidence-based approaches to reduce medication administration errors, and the stakeholders in lowering medication administration errors.

Annotated Bibliography

Causes of Medication Administration Errors

Azim, M., Khan, A., Khan, T. M., & Kamran, M. (2019). A cross-sectional study: medication safety among cancer in-patients in tertiary care hospitals in KPK, Pakistan. BMC Health Services Research, 19, 1-12. https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-019-4420-7

This article examines medication safety among cancer in-patients within tertiary hospitals in KPK, Pakistan. It highlights that medication safety among cancer patients has become a significant challenge. The article found a high number of medication error incidents among cancer patients. These incidents arise from various factors, including improper medication dose, administration to the wrong patient, and inappropriate prescription. This article is helpful to nurses in identifying and understanding the factors leading to medication errors. Nurses should review this article to help them understand the origin of wrongful drug administration to enable them to find solutions collaboratively.

MacDowell, P. (2021). Medication administration errors. Department of Health and Human Services. https://psnet.ahrq.gov/primer/medication-administration-errors#:~:text=Wrong%20dose%2C%20missing%20doses%2C%20and,precautions%20in%20the%20outpatient%20clinic.

This article explores medication administration errors, focusing on their causes and potential strategies for preventing these costly mistakes. The author reports that medication errors have become the primary target in advancing patient safety since adverse drug events (ADEs) compromise the quality of care. The article contends that the most prevalent medication errors caregivers commit are the wrong medication, missing doses, and wrong doses. These errors arise from low health literacy among patients and nurses and poor communication among nurses and between caregivers and patients. Nurses can use this article to understand the root cause of medication errors to enable them to design suitable prevention strategies.

Tariq, R. A., Vashisht, R., Sinha, A., & Scherbak, Y. (2018). Medication dispensing errors and prevention. National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519065/

This article examines medication errors and their prevention. The authors report that the U.S. has experienced thousands of medication errors, mostly drug administration-related, over the past years. According to the authors, medication errors are common during drug prescriptions and orders. Possible causes include nurse burnout, poor labeling, and disruptions. Nurses should review the article to understand the possible causes of medication administration errors.

Wondmieneh, A., Alemu, W., Tadele, N., & Demis, A. (2020). Medication administration errors and contributing factors among nurses: a cross-sectional study in tertiary hospitals, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. BMC Nursing, 19(1), 1-9. https://bmcnurs.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12912-020-0397-0

The article focuses on the contributing factors to medication administration errors. The authors report that unsafe medication practices have led to avoidable patient harm in the global healthcare systems. The most significant percentage of medication errors happen during medication administration. Nurses have a fundamental responsibility in the occurrence and prevention of these errors, they should understand the factors leading to these errors. Some contributing factors include insufficient training, lack of medication administration guidance, work inexperience, interruptions during drug administration, and burnout due to increased workload. Nurses should review this article to understand the causes of medication administration errors comprehensively.

Evidence-Based Strategies to Reduce Medication Administration Errors

Salar, A., Kiani, F., & Rezaee, N. (2020). Preventing the medication errors in hospitals: A qualitative study. International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences, 13, 100235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijans.2020.100235

This article examines the strategies that can be deployed to prevent medication administration errors within hospitals. The authors report that one of the fundamental nursing practices is drug administration in hospital wards, and medication errors among nurses often compromise the quality and safety of patients. The authors identify that nurses should act professionally when handling patients to prevent medication administration errors. Working professionally means nurses must carefully use checklists for drugs and patients to ensure that suitable patients receive the correct medication. Nurses can use this article to understand why it is their responsibility to eliminate medication errors. It will guide nurses on the best practices and professionalism in their work.

Vaidotas, M., Yokota, P. K. O., Negrini, N. M. M., Leiderman, D. B. D., Souza, V. P. D., Santos, O. F. P. D., & Wolosker, N. (2019). Medication errors in emergency departments: Is electronic medical record an effective barrier? Einstein (São Paulo), 17. https://doi.org/10.31744/einstein_journal/2019GS4282

This article compares medication errors within two emergency departments with electronic medical records to others using the same organization’s traditional handwritten records. The authors found fewer medication errors in the hospitals that use electronic medical records than in those using handwritten records. The findings illustrate that using electronic records significantly lower the rate of medication errors. Nurses should review this source to help them understand the significance of technology, especially the electronic health record (EHR), in modern medical practice.

Mutair, A. A., Alhumaid, S., Shamsan, A., Zaidi, A. R. Z., Mohaini, M. A., Al Mutairi, A., … & Al-Omari, A. (2021). The effective strategies to avoid medication errors and improving reporting systems. Medicines, 8(9), 46. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicines8090046

This article explores the effective approaches hospitals and nurses can use to prevent medication errors and enhance the reporting system. The article reports that there are increased rates of medication errors and avoidable fatalities in the healthcare systems. The authors report that an effective error reporting system is significant and the backbone of a trustworthy practice and a measure of the progress towards attaining patient safety. The research suggests adjustments to the error reporting systems to ensure timely and efficient reporting for immediate action. An active approach is needed in detecting, measuring, and analyzing medication errors. Nurses can use this article to understand the various strategies they can deploy to prevent medication errors.

Rodziewicz, T. L., Houseman, B., & Hipskind, J. E. (2018). Medical error reduction and prevention. National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499956/

This source examines the medication error reduction and prevention. The authors report that medical errors have become a fundamental challenge and a cause of death in the U.S. healthcare system. Uncovering the consistent source of medical errors has become a priority while addressing the errors has been the biggest problem for healthcare professionals and other stakeholders. The authors report that it is fundamental to sustain the culture of working toward identifying safety issues and implementing practical solutions to address the problem. There is a need for healthcare organizations to create a safety culture that concentrates on performance improvement. Nurses should review this source to understand the significance of a solid safety culture to healthcare organizations.

Stakeholders in Reducing Medication Administration Errors

Russ-Jara, A. L., Luckhurst, C. L., Dismore, R. A., Arthur, K. J., Ifeachor, A. P., Militello, L. G., … & Weiner, M. (2021). Care Coordination Strategies and Barriers during Medication Safety Incidents: a Qualitative, Cognitive Task Analysis. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-020-06386-w

This article focuses on care-coordination approaches and the barriers during the medication safety incidents. The article reports that medication errors are highly common within the healthcare institutions, mainly arising because of the challenges in coordinating care among the primary care givers, pharmacists, and specialists. The authors contend that the quality care can be achieved through a collaborative approach from all stakeholders, including nurses, pharmacists, patients, society, and physicians. Nurses should review this article to understand the significance of care coordination and how the different stakeholders and collaborate to minimize incidents.

Abdulrouf, P., Thomas, B., Elkassem, W., & Alhail, M. (2019). 5PSQ-096 Key stakeholders, perspectives on medication safety practices and error reporting in Qatar – an exploratory sequential mixed-method study. British Medical Journal, 26(1). https://ejhp.bmj.com/content/26/Suppl_1/A246.1

This article examines the perspectives of primary stakeholders in medical safety practices and error reporting in hospitals. The article contends that medical errors are fundamental international concern that affect patient safety and treatment outcomes. Significantly, error reduction in the medical field is the priority of all stakeholders, including nurses, administrators, and patients. For instance, the management should support patient safety and implement nurses’ suggestions. Nurses should review this article to gain a comprehensive understanding of the stakeholder role and engagement in error reporting.

Cho, I., Lee, M., & Kim, Y. (2020). What are the main patient safety concerns of healthcare stakeholders: a mixed-method study of Web-based text. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 140, 104162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2020.104162

This article explores the primary patient safety concerns that healthcare stakeholders should address. The authors report that different healthcare stakeholders have defined healthcare quality differently. Stakeholders are mainly concerned about adverse events such as wrongful medication administration, infection control in the hospital, and weaker policies that allow these errors to recur. The article also mentions the government as a major stakeholder in healthcare and who should implement policies to ensure patient safety. Nurses should review this article to understand the role of stakeholders like the government in medication error reduction and patient safety.

Woodward, J., MacKinnon, A., & Keers, R. N. (2019). Stakeholders views of medicines administration by pharmacy technicians on mental health inpatient wards. International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy, 41, 1332-1340. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11096-019-00880-w

This article focuses on the views of stakeholders regarding medication administration among pharmacy technicians on the mental health inpatient units. Stakeholders contend that involving the pharmacy technicians is a significant approach to improving the management of medicines. Significantly, pharmacists can assist nurses and patients in ensuring the administration of the correct medication to avoid errors. The article stresses the significant of stakeholder collaboration in advancing patient safety. Nurses should review this source to gain a holistic understanding on the significance of stakeholders, especially pharmacists in reducing medication administration errors.

References

Abdulrouf, P., Thomas, B., Elkassem, W., & Alhail, M. (2019). 5PSQ-096 Key stakeholders, perspectives on medication safety practices and error reporting in Qatar – an exploratory sequential mixed-method study. British Medical Journal, 26(1). https://ejhp.bmj.com/content/26/Suppl_1/A246.1

Azim, M., Khan, A., Khan, T. M., & Kamran, M. (2019). A cross-sectional study: medication safety among cancer in-patients in tertiary care hospitals in KPK, Pakistan. BMC Health Services Research, 19, 1-12. https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-019-4420-7

Cho, I., Lee, M., & Kim, Y. (2020). What are the main patient safety concerns of healthcare stakeholders: a mixed-method study of Web-based text. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 140, 104162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2020.104162

MacDowell, P. (2021). Medication administration errors. Department of Health and Human Services. https://psnet.ahrq.gov/primer/medication-administration-errors#:~:text=Wrong%20dose%2C%20missing%20doses%2C%20and,precautions%20in%20the%20outpatient%20clinic.

Mutair, A. A., Alhumaid, S., Shamsan, A., Zaidi, A. R. Z., Mohaini, M. A., Al Mutairi, A., … & Al-Omari, A. (2021). The effective strategies to avoid medication errors and improving reporting systems. Medicines, 8(9), 46. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicines8090046

Rodziewicz, T. L., Houseman, B., & Hipskind, J. E. (2018). Medical error reduction and prevention. National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499956/

Russ-Jara, A. L., Luckhurst, C. L., Dismore, R. A., Arthur, K. J., Ifeachor, A. P., Militello, L. G., … & Weiner, M. (2021). Care Coordination Strategies and Barriers during Medication Safety Incidents: a Qualitative, Cognitive Task Analysis. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-020-06386-w

Salar, A., Kiani, F., & Rezaee, N. (2020). Preventing the medication errors in hospitals: A qualitative study. International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences, 13, 100235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijans.2020.100235

Tariq, R. A., Vashisht, R., Sinha, A., & Scherbak, Y. (2018). Medication dispensing errors and prevention. National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519065/

Vaidotas, M., Yokota, P. K. O., Negrini, N. M. M., Leiderman, D. B. D., Souza, V. P. D., Santos, O. F. P. D., & Wolosker, N. (2019). Medication errors in emergency departments: Is electronic medical record an effective barrier? Einstein (São Paulo), 17. https://doi.org/10.31744/einstein_journal/2019GS4282

Wondmieneh, A., Alemu, W., Tadele, N., & Demis, A. (2020). Medication administration errors and contributing factors among nurses: a cross sectional study in tertiary hospitals, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. BMC nursing, 19(1), 1-9. https://bmcnurs.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12912-020-0397-0

Woodward, J., MacKinnon, A., & Keers, R. N. (2019). Stakeholders views of medicines administration by pharmacy technicians on mental health inpatient wards. International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy, 41, 1332-1340. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11096-019-00880-w