The first thing I would do is to make sure that the medical staff is visually evaluating the medications in order to ensure their reliability (“Joint Commission and CMS crosswalk”). Second, I…
Medication Scenario My client, John, is a single 59-year-old white male. John was recently diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and was prescribed Cymbalta. John earns approximately $22,000 per year and says he cannot afford to fill the medication. As John’s social worker, I have been asked to help him find a prescription assistance program.…
Managing medications for these patients thus becomes an important safety issue. A way of managing these medications is through medication reconciliation. In medication reconciliation, a member of the health care team compares the medications a patient should be using to the new medications that are ordered for the patient and resolves any inconsistencies and discrepancies (The Joint Commission, 2017). The NPSG intends to help organizations decrease the amount of medication errors and negative patient outcomes related to medication discrepancies. Therefore, standards were created in the NPSG that focused on risk points of medication reconciliation such as maintaining and communicating accurate patient medication information, patient education on safe medication use, and coordinating information during transitions of care (The Joint Commission,…
Of all these medication errors 400,000 of these errors yearly have been reported that they could have been preventable (Hunter, 2011). The advantages of electronic medication administration records are that the five rights of medication administration are verified; when a medication that requires lab work the patient’s lab work will appear allowing the nurse to view the value before administering the medication; warning boxes appear when information does not match, for instance: “medication is for a different patient” (Hunter, 2011). During a study conducted by Karen Hunter published in the Online Journal of Nursing Informatics electronic medication administration records as well as barcoding systems where placed in hospitals. Sixty-two percent of the nurses stated they felt safer using the system and that the system actually prevented them from making a medication error (Hunter,…
Some doctors keep on changing prescriptions, forcing pharmacies to save several companies’ prescription drugs with the same effect and this is the same problem regarding hospitals, which can also recommend other ones. Some medicine are finally used only once, expire and are returned…
Medications a patient is actively taking daily, reflects consecutively among health care fundamentally, known as the “active medication list”. Medication reconciliation is operationalized popularly throughout healthcare systems implemented structurally by policies and procedures, developed from evidence based practice. Keogh et al. defined medication reconciliation as an standardized method in reviewing a patient’s prescribed medication list and comparing medications the patient reports he or she is taking each day (2016). Healthcare professionals utilizing medication reconciling, encompasses: medical assistants, licensed practical nurses, registered nurses, advanced nurse practitioners, physician assistants, physicians, or pharmacists.…
Electronic Medication Administration Record and Patient Safety One of the reason medication related deaths occur are due to medication errors (Karen, 2011, p. 1). In fact, within the United States, approximately 7,000 people die each year due to medication errors (Karen, 2011, p. 1). According to Karen (2011) 1.3 million medication errors occur yearly, which relates to several injuries and approximately one death a day related to medication errors in the Unites States (Karen, 2011, p. 1). One major cause of medication errors can be explained using the medication administration process (Mccomas, 2014, p.590). When a health care provider is responsible to administer a medication, there are approximately 50 to 100 steps involved in this process…
Technology Informatics Over the years, hospitals have worked hard to decrease the amount of post-discharge medication errors. According to Allison et al. (2015), electronic medication reconciliation is a system created to help medication inconsistencies. These electronic medication reconciliation handouts are now part of Joint Commission on Accreditation standard requirements.…
Statistics also state that nearly 1% of hospital admissions have an adverse drug event (Runciman, Roughead, Semple, & Adams, 2003)As a graduate nurse looking to continually improve and develop my practice I need to develop strategies that will help me progress towards this goal. This goal will help to prevent some of those adverse drug event and prevent some of the medication admissions entirely. Being in a position that is directly responsible and accountable for the administration of the medications in a lot of the cases means that I need to continually strive to improve and maintain a high level of medication management. I have already mentioned a few strategies that I believe will help me to continually develop those skills to a desired level. familiarising myself with the medication will help to reduce the risk of a medication error slipping through and effecting the patient.…
Physicians who understand how to implement the new detailed practices and help patients manage their illness more efficiently, can help push the changeover more quickly. Furthermore, the physicians and nurses need to have an ability to proficiently help patients manage their own illness; which includes proper medication usage, and help patients navigate throughout the health care system. It is also crucial that all the health professionals recognize the importance of delivering care in a uniform fashion. Additionally, health care professionals need to be committed to following the specific guidelines in order to deliver consistent care to a large number of patients efficiently.…
Medication error is defined by many different things, whether it is administering medication to the wrong patient or giving a patient too much of the medication ordered (Xu, C., 2014, p. 286). All medication errors should be held as an emergency and should always be reported. The use of technology is starting to be used to help minimize the amount of medication errors, but the nurse should not assume that the technology will not make mistakes (Xu, C., 2014, p. 286). The registered nurse should always double check the medication being dispensed is the medication on the written…
Medication reconciliation must be completed by a nurse, physician or pharmacist on admission and discharge to avoid medication discrepancies. Perform medication reconciliation on every patient and if the patient is unsure of the medications they take then contact their caregivers or their pharmacy to obtain an accurate list. Then teach patients how to manage their own medications. Recommend pill boxes or charts for those with memory impairments. Enlist spouses and children to help ensure patients are taking their medications as directed.…
My preceptor IPPE consisted of visits to Sanford Hospital’s cardiology floor where I got to shadow Dr. Kirsten Johnson. My first experience occurred on October 6, 2016 from 0800 – 1100, and the second work period was October 20, 2016 from 1630 – 1930. I enjoyed each visit to the hospital and felt very welcomed by Dr. Johnson. The only hospital setting experience I had was my IPPE II at Avera Queen of Peace in Mitchell, SD.…
Medication Reconciliation in the Hospital Setting The transition of patients from an acute care setting to a home setting is often challenging and stressful. It can be complex for the patient to understand the instructions for discharge and, more importantly, it can be challenging and dangerous when it comes to ensuring the patient understands the medication reconciliation process. Successful transition to home is multifaceted and depends partially on an accurate and complete overview of all medications with the patient. This is an imperative safety measure across the continuum of care (Ruggiero, Smith, Copeland, Boxer, 2015).…
Drug administration is an integral part of a nurse’s role. Responsibility for correct administration of medication rest with the nurse, yet medication errors are a persistent problem associated with the nurse practice act. Medication errors are a multidisciplinary problem and multidisciplinary approach is required in order to reduce the incidence of errors. Drug administration forms a major part of the of a process that also involves doctors and pharmacist (Betz & Levy, 1985). Medicines are prescribed by the doctor and dispensed by the pharmacist, but responsibility for the correct administration rests with the registered nurse and student nurse.…