Medication Errors and Prevention

Medication Errors and Prevention
Learner’s Name
Capella University
NHS4000: Developing a Health Care Perspective
Instructor Name
Date
Medication Errors and Prevention
Medicines could lead to severe harm, disability, and even death if taken incorrectly. Medical errors (MEs) are often the main cause of avoidable patient harm worldwide in healthcare. Wondmieneh et al. (2020) indicate that medication administration errors are the most familiar types of MEs, and they can have adverse effects for patients, health practitioners, and health establishments. MEs can ensue at any point of the medication procedure, from prescription and dispensation to administration and monitoring. To prevent MEs, healthcare organizations could adopt technologies like the computerized provider order entry (CPOE) systems or foster a culture of safety that prioritizes patient well-being and encourages open communication about mistakes. As such, medication errors should be addressed, and healthcare organizations work towards prevention to improve patient outcomes and ensure the delivery of high-quality care.
Elements of the Problem/Issue
Studies indicate that MEs are a preventable problem due to a patient being given the wrong medication, dose of medicine, or drug being provided at the undesignated time or by the incorrect route. These errors can be grouped as prescription, dispensation, administration, and monitoring errors (Alrabadi et al., 2021).
Prescription errors occur when a healthcare professional provides the wrong medication or dose (Alrabadi et al., 2021). An example of a wrong prescription is a practitioner prescribing a drug that the patient is allergic to or a quantity that is too high for the patient's age or weight.
Dispensation errors ensue when a pharmacist dispenses the wrong medication or dose or uses the wrong route to administer a drug to a patient (Alrabadi et al., 2021). For example, a pharmacist may mistakenly dispense a drug intended for another patient due to the similarity of identification. Health professionals should be keen on patients’ records before dispensing drugs.
Administration errors occur when a patient is given the wrong medication or dose or a drug is given at the wrong time or by the wrong route (Izadpanah et al., 2018). An example is a nurse accidentally giving a patient an intravenous medication orally or administering a drug designated to be taken once a day twice.
Monitoring errors transpire when healthcare professionals fail to properly monitor a patient's response to a medication or recognize and respond to adverse reactions to medication (Alrabadi et al., 2021). An example is a doctor failing to acknowledge that a patient is experiencing side effects from a medication, such as an allergic reaction or an increase in blood pressure, and still not taking appropriate action to address the issue.
Analysis
As a healthcare professional, it is important to think of the potential for MEs that jeopardize patient health. MEs can happen at any phase of the medication process, that is; from prescription, dispensation, to administration, posing severe consequences for patient safety, including adverse drug events, hospitalization, and even death. Therefore, it is imperative to have an overall quality evaluation of the medication process and implement strategies to prevent such errors.
The context for MEs
With the complexity of the medication process, MEs are becoming more rampant; hence multiple healthcare professionals ought to ensure safety in multiple steps and (Kiani et al., 2020). Healthcare professionals need more communication and coordination, which can often lead to errors (Alrabadi et al., 2021). Another causal factor for MEs is the increasing use of technology, which can create new opportunities for errors. For example, electronic prescribing systems (EPSs) can lead to errors if they are not used correctly or not integrated with other systems.
Populations Affected by Medication Errors
While medication errors can affect any patient, specific populations are more vulnerable. Older adults are at higher risk for MEs due to age-related changes in physiology, multiple chronic conditions, and the requirement for multiple medications. Also, patients in low-income nations experience two times as much incapacity because of medically linked harm than those in high-income nations (Wondmieneh et al., 2020). Finally, patients with complex medical conditions or those taking multiple medications are at higher risk for medication errors due to the complexity of their care. Hence, there is a need for healthcare professionals to implement measures that will help prevent MEs-related morbidity and mortality cases.
Considering options
MEs can be prevented during hospitals' prescription and administration processes by using the computerized provider order entry (CPOE) systems, providing training for healthcare professionals, and creating a culture of safety for open communication and reporting of medication errors. CPOE systems allow healthcare professionals to enter medication orders electronically, redu...