The Problem Of Medication Errors

Chart checking is an important duty for the nurses and it is always done at the beginning of each shift. This is an anchor for the patient care activities throughout the shift. This involves checking the medications ordered by the physicians against those on their medication administration record (MAR). This step ensures that the patient receives the medication in accordance to the five rights (patient, medication, route, time, dose). The orders are read by many persons including the pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who enters them into the computer system as well as dispensing and preparation of these medicines. There are potential problems which may occur when the handwritings of the doctors cannot be accurately interpreted, such as the patient getting the wrong drug or incorrect dose. This problem can be averted by implementing safety measures, which will be addressed in this paper.
Purpose of the Program
The purpose of this presentation is to identify the potential problems of medication errors and to provide an alternative for safer …show more content…
Research shows that medication errors occurs due to several different reasons including “failure to read ineligible orders” (Hughes & Blegen, 2008). The role of a servant leader which is “serving others through a leadership role” (Grand Canyon University, 2013), provides an inspiration for this project. It is important for the safety of the patients and the welfare of the staff and the institution at large. The implementation of a new system may be costly but, over time it will pay for itself through preventing medication errors. In the event patients are harmed, there can be lawsuits and treatments to reverse or treat the effects of the wrong medication which may be expensive. Additionally, it saves time by preventing frequent clarification calls to the physicians and allow the nursing staff more time to concentrate on actual patient care