Analysis of Current Health Issues
Medication errors are among the most common in healthcare institutions worldwide. In the United States of America, medication errors are the eighth leading cause of preventable harm and fatalities, contributing to approximately 40% of all hospital admissions and 22% of readmissions after patient discharge worldwide (Tariq, 2023). Over the years, as the government and health institutions pay more attention to improving patient safety, medication errors have been a critical target for improving patient safety and patient outcomes. Medication errors refer to preventable incidents that could cause patient harm during the administration or prescription of medication that, if not prevented, can result in physical harm to the patient and severe financial losses.
Elements of the Problem
Medication errors are healthcare system failures occurring in one or all of the rights in the process of administration of medication; failure to give medication to the right patient, at the right time, with the correct dosage, giving the wrong medication and using the wrong method of administration (Mulac et al., 2021). Medication errors can involve all types of drugs occuring due to factors such as failing to consider a patient’s medical condition or drug interactions. Integrating modern technology into the medical industry has significantly changed how patients receive care and how medical personnel, from nurses to doctors and surgeons, operate within health institutions (Alrabadi et al., 2021). Today’s prescribers must keep track of all prescriptions and use patient information within the patient database when prescribing medication. Therefore, if physicians ignore the inputted information and the details regarding the medical issue facing the patient and take into account the resources available to them, there is an increased risk factor of medication errors.
System-related causes of medication errors can include inadequate and convoluted processes, system misconfiguration, and inadequate training of nurses, physicians, pharmacists, and distractors (Rasool et al., 2020). While human error accounts for many medication errors, system errors also contribute to the issue and are often more challenging to keep track of and prevent. A poor working environment can distract physicians and nurses, increasing the risk of making prescription and administration mistakes. Medication errors also occur when there is poor communication within the health institution and poorly trained employees who do not have the skills to identify critical issues during the prescribing and administration process. These errors occur frequently within a health institution or anywhere where people are taking drugs and, if not prevented, can result in significant injuries, fatalities, and high costs for the patients and the institution.
Analysis
Overall, proper administration and prescription of medication is a delicate process that depends on the correct dosage, correct route of administration, best duration, selection and concentration for the particular patient, adverse effects and drug interactions, and any discontinuations and modifications made on a particular medication. Medication errors can be significantly reduced at the institutional level by reducing human errors, increasing the possibility of achieving positive patient outcomes, and improving patient safety (Al Meslamani, 2023). However, it is also imperative to focus on external factors that contribute to prescribers and administrators making medication errors, seeing as they are often out of the control of the individual physician or nurse. For instance, during the COVID-19 pandemic, health institutions worldwide were understaffed, facing shortages in medication, with stringent working conditions, and the staff was overworked, facing the risk of infection and death (Al Meslamani, 2023). When medical personnel is distracted, they increase the risk of making mistakes during the prescription and administration stages of care which threatens patient safety. In addition to skill and knowledge, hospitals and pharmacies need streamlining where there is efficient and effective sharing of vital patient information and communication between different specialists which is vital to the choice of intervention for a particular patient.
Populations Affected by Medication Errors
The healthcare industry relies on medication to prevent and treat illnesses. This means that as long as people are using medication in any environment, mistakes can happen which result in errors. Medication errors can occur across the entire population of all who use any medication, from when the drug is prescribed, when entering the medication information into the computer system at the hospital, when the medication is being dispensed or prepared, or when the drug is administered or being taken by the patient (Keers et al., 2013). Children are the most at-risk for medication errors because they need different drug doses and frequencies compared to adults.
Potential Solutions for Medication Error
Over the years, people and institutions have come up with simple and complex strategies to eliminate or reduce medication errors to ensure that administration aligns with all rights of medical administration. Some low-tech strategies include creating standardized communication within the health system to ensure all prescribers understand the proper medication. Concepts such as tall man lettering of product labeling within electronic health records to include terms that are easily understandable and seen can prevent misunderstanding and misreading, especially of look-alike and sound-alike drugs (Forni et al., 2010). Another strategy implemented within healthcare settings is optimizing workflow, especially for nurses and physicians, by eliminating distractors and minimizing interruptions during medication administration associated with medication errors. In addition, institutions can focus on medication errors occurring on high-risk agents, seeing as some medications have a higher probability of patient harm when an error is made, such as anticoagulants, insulin, opioids, and chemotherapy drugs (Rasool et al., 2020). Health institutions should develop robust policies and guidelines on using these drugs, such as standardized labeling, clinical decision support, and precise storage requirements. These could standardize the process of care and significantly reduce any opportunity for errors during the administration and prescription of medication. Other policies that could reduce errors are encouraging reporting of medication errors and introducing patient education initiatives to ensure that all the vulnerable parties are aware of the risk factors and what to look out for in case an error occurs.
Technology in the medical industry has come a long way in developing hardware and software technologies that aid in providing healthcare, including drug administration. Some of these include using barcode medication administration technologies where patients, medications, and medical records are linked through barcodes to the right patient, proper medication, and time (Forni et al., 2010). Another strategy is through intelligent infusion pumps and automated dispensing cabinets, especially for high-risk medications, to reduce the risks involved with the human error aspect of medication error. Regardless of the challenges and risk factors involved with medication errors, they are preventable, and institutions and medical personnel have a responsibility to ensure the safety of their patients.
Ethical Principles
Across the healthcare system, all medical personnel are required to observe and consider all ethical principles when making decisions. The core ethical principles of healthcare are abundantly present in cases of medication errors. Beneficence applies to the healthcare provider’s obligation to prescribe medication, make decisions that benefit the patient, and report any medication errors to ensure that corrective actions are made to prevent the error from happening again (Pathak, 2022). Medical personnel also have an ethical responsibility to disclose any information regarding the patient’s case to the patient, including any errors made regarding their medication. A patient’s autonomy is also threatened when medication errors occur and when they are not disclosed to the patient involved and the pertinent authorities. Medical personnel, including nurses, pharmacists, and physicians, have an ethical responsibility to provide correct and relevant care to the patient meaning that any medication error is an ethical and medical violation (Pathak, 2022).
Conclusion
Preventing medication errors is vital to achieving and maintaining patient safety within the hospital and anywhere medication is involved. Many factors contribute to medication errors at different stages of the healthcare administration process, from admission to the prescription and the administration of the medications required to meet the particular patient’s medical needs. However, they are preventable by eliminating human error through training patients and medical personnel, making use of technology to streamline drug prescriptions and administration, and improving reporting systems to keep the system accountable and transparent. Patient outcomes and patient safety are essential to quality care, and drug administration is vital in health institutions worldwide.
References
Keers, R. N., Williams, S. D., Cooke, J., & Ashcroft, D. M. (2013). Causes of medication administration errors in hospitals: a systematic review of quantitative and qualitative evidence. Drug safety, pp. 36, 1045–1067.
Tariq, R. A., Vashisht, R., Sinha, A., & Scherbak, Y. (2023). Medication dispensing errors and prevention.
Pathak, Y. (2022). Medication errors: An ethical analysis. Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research, 45(2). https://doi.org/10.26717/bjstr.2022.45.007162
Rasool, M. F., Rehman, A. U., Imran, I., Abbas, S., Shah, S., Abbas, G., … & Hayat, K. (2020). Risk factors associated with medication errors among patients suffering from chronic disorders. Frontiers in public health, 8, 531038.
Alrabadi, N., Shawagfeh, S., Haddad, R., Mukattash, T., Abuhammad, S., Al-rabadi, D., … & Al-Faouri, I. (2021). Medication errors: a focus on nursing practice. Journal of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research, 12(1), 78-86.
Al Meslamani, A. Z. (2023). Medication errors during a pandemic: What have we learned? Expert Opinion on Drug Safety, 22(2), 115-118.
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 improve reporting systems. Medicines, 8(9), 46.
Reiner, G., Pierce, S. L., & Flynn, J. (2020). Wrong drug and wrong dose dispensing errors identified in pharmacist professional liability claims. Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, 60(5), e50-e56.
Mulac, A., Taxis, K., Hagesaether, E., & Granas, A. G. (2021). Severe and fatal medication errors in hospitals: findings from the Norwegian Incident Reporting System. European Journal of Hospital Pharmacy, 28(e1), e56-e61.
Forni, A., Chu, H. T., & Fanikos, J. (2010). Technology utilization to prevent medication errors. Current Drug Safety, 5(1), 13-18.
write