Introduction/Overview
Medication errors refer to any avoidable or preventable events that lead to improper use of therapeutic substances that potentially affect the patient. Medication errors are prevalent in the health sector and among the leading causes of death in the United States. Medication mistakes have various reasons, including inadequate knowledge about medication dosages, interactions and patient identification. Insufficient communication among healthcare providers also increases the risk of medication errors when patient information is not adequately clarified. Medication errors significantly impact patients, healthcare providers and hospital management. These errors, for instance, affect patient safety, increasing the risk of permanent disability and sometimes death with dangerous drugs. I am interested in gaining more insight into medication errors because of their increasing prevalence and impact on patient safety and outcomes. As a nurse, I believe it is essential to identify the most prevalent issues in the healthcare sector to develop the most practical solutions to these problems and improve population health. I once encountered a nurse who had to go through therapy after performing a medication mistake in which the patient died. The nurse administered a drug to a patient with an unknown allergy and could not get over the same even when the family accepted the incident and did not sue the facility.
Annotated Bibliography
Escrivá Gracia, J., Brage Serrano, R., & Fernández Garrido, J. (2019). Medication errors and drug knowledge gaps among critical-care nurses: a mixed multi-method study. BMC Health Services Research, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4481-7
BioMed Central is a relevant source of peer-reviewed articles on medical research offering up-to-date evidence on the most recent issues in the healthcare sector. The publication is current, and I selected it because it provides insight into the influence of critical care nurses’ knowledge about drugs and the impact on medication errors through a study conducted. The article describes that medication errors are prevalent in intensive care units because of the level of vulnerability patients in the critical care unit possess, which makes them more susceptible. The article outlines a study conducted among ICU nurses in a hospital in Spain to determine whether inadequate knowledge administration is the leading cause of medication errors among patients in the ICU. The authors concluded that insufficient knowledge among nurses contributes to most etiologies, including personal issues and medication administration processes. The researchers purport that such modes of medication administration, like the use of NGT, increase the risk of medication errors.
Mulac, A., Taxis, K., Hagesaether, E., & Granas, A. G. (2020). Severe and fatal medication errors in hospitals: findings from the Norwegian Incident Reporting System. European Journal of Hospital Pharmacy, 28(1). https://doi.org/10.1136/ejhpharm-2020-002298
The British Medical Journal Group is famous for its insightful articles on medical research about the most common issues in the healthcare system. The report is peer-reviewed and recent, and I selected it because it is the most current and relevant to my chosen topic. The article describes a study conducted in Norwegian hospitals to determine the principal causes of medication errors, the types and the frequency. The researchers relied on information from the Norwegian Incident Reporting System. The article provides a report of findings, including that fatal hospital errors occurred in the administration stage and that most of these were caused by physicians and nurses. According to the study results, drug dosing errors were the most common. The article concludes with a recommendation for an improved effort to foster the implementation of prevention strategies for medical errors. The authors suggest further research into the reason for high incidences of medication errors at the administration strategy and practical interventions to help solve the problem.
Rodziewicz, T. L., Hipskind, J. E., & Houseman, B. (2022). Medical Error Reduction and Prevention. National Library of Medicine; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499956/
The National Center for Biotechnology Information is a reliable source of medical information offering up-to-date data about prevalent issues in the healthcare sector. The current and peer-reviewed publication offers continuing education about medication errors, their significance during medical practice and how to promote a safety culture. The article also lists some practical approaches to preventing medical errors, including the role of medical professionals in improving patient safety. I included this article in my bibliography because it offers great insight into what it means by a culture of safety which is the most recent issue regarding preventing medical errors. The article describes the two types of medical mistakes; omission and commission. The authors purport that healthcare professionals often bear the major brunt after medical mistakes are committed to the patient. The authors explain that the fear of punishment may make physicians reluctant to report these errors. The article concludes by providing some safety promotion actions to prevent medical errors, including educating healthcare professionals on medical mistakes and preventing work overload for care professionals to avoid fatigue.
Tariq, R. A., & Scherbak, Y. (2022). Medication dispensing errors and prevention. National Library of Medicine; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519065/
The article is peer reviewed and a publication of PubMed Central, which offers peer-reviewed reading materials on issues regarding healthcare. The recent publication discusses errors associated with medication dispensing and the strategies for preventing these mistakes. I selected the article because it offers relevant information about the most common causes of medication errors and the most practical solutions to improving patient safety. The authors explain that medication errors occur between ordering, documenting, dispensing, administering or monitoring. The article also associates the rising cases of medication errors to harmful reactions resulting from increased usage of other herbal substances and over-the-counter drugs that healthcare professionals are unaware of. The article lists some causes of medication errors, including expired agents, administering a wrong drug or dose, distractions and judgment factors by physicians, among others. The article concludes by suggesting practical strategies to prevent medical mistakes, including establishing a reporting system educating physicians about the importance of maintaining a safety culture to avoid medical errors. There is a list of actions to be taken by physicians and pharmacists to prevent medication mistakes.
Summary/Conclusion
From my research and reading, I have learned that medication errors have a widespread effect on patient safety and result in the worst patient outcomes but are generally preventable. Most medication errors result from inadequate knowledge about medication administration procedures and poor communication, which go unreported. It is high time that effort is put into advocating for a culture of safety and measures established to encourage the reporting of medication errors. It is inappropriate to wait until mistakes happen before action is taken and sometimes directed against healthcare professionals alone. Error-prevention strategies would be beneficial in solving the issues of medication errors and promoting patient safety. The selected sources were helpful in my research because they improved my knowledge of categorizing medication errors.
References
Escrivá Gracia, J., Brage Serrano, R., & Fernández Garrido, J. (2019). Medication errors and drug knowledge gaps among critical-care nurses: a mixed multi-method study. BMC Health Services Research, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4481-7
Mulac, A., Taxis, K., Hagesaether, E., & Granas, A. G. (2020). Severe and fatal medication errors in hospitals: findings from the Norwegian Incident Reporting System. European Journal of Hospital Pharmacy, 28(1). https://doi.org/10.1136/ejhpharm-2020-002298
Rodziewicz, T. L., Hipskind, J. E., & Houseman, B. (2022). Medical Error Reduction and Prevention. National Library of Medicine; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499956/
Tariq, R. A., & Scherbak, Y. (2022). Medication dispensing errors and prevention. National Library of Medicine; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519065/
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