Medication administration errors transpire in the healthcare community excessively. According to the Food and Drug administration’s website, medication errors results in at least one death each day, and injure approximately 1.3 million people annually in the United States. As the healthcare field is advancing, so should the standards for medication administration. Research concluded interruptions during administration has played a role in facilitating medication errors. Evidence based practice geared towards reducing the incidences of medication administration errors found drug round tabards and do not interrupt during med pass signs and signals to be effective in reducing the number of incidences. The idea behind these alternative methods
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Prescriptive authorities such as medical physicians, dentists, psychiatrists, podiatrists, physician assistants and advance practice nurses have the authority to prescribe medications to a patient. The medication plan or prescription is dispensed and prepared by a licensed pharmacist and then dispatched to be administered by a licensed nurse. This chain of events ensures a sort of checks and balances in which errors made by the previous clinician can be identified and clarified. For example, if an order is written incorrectly by the prescriber the pharmacist would clarify the error before dispensing the medication. The nurse will be the last “check” in administering the medication hence, the nurse must be proficient in administration skills such as a knowledge base about drugs including drug name, preparations, and adverse effects along with an assessment of the patient receiving the medication. The assessment includes patient’s diagnosis, past medical history, current medications, age, patient’s profile, allergies, and laboratory findings. All of these factors are considered by the nurse before administration of the medication.(Taylor, 2011). It is evident during administration of an medication, there is a complex thought process to be followed through by the nurse. Interruptions during this process (medication administration) can be problematic, and lead to a …show more content…
The fact of the matter is there are far too many medication errors occurring in the healthcare community, interruptions has been identified as a direct cause to countless errors during medication administration. Interventions to reduce interruptions during medication administration are being applied. Nurses are required to be flexible and able to communicate during medication administration to patients, families, physicians and other nursing staff. However, interruptions should be delayed unless essential to the current medication
Prescriptive authorities such as medical physicians, dentists, psychiatrists, podiatrists, physician assistants and advance practice nurses have the authority to prescribe medications to a patient. The medication plan or prescription is dispensed and prepared by a licensed pharmacist and then dispatched to be administered by a licensed nurse. This chain of events ensures a sort of checks and balances in which errors made by the previous clinician can be identified and clarified. For example, if an order is written incorrectly by the prescriber the pharmacist would clarify the error before dispensing the medication. The nurse will be the last “check” in administering the medication hence, the nurse must be proficient in administration skills such as a knowledge base about drugs including drug name, preparations, and adverse effects along with an assessment of the patient receiving the medication. The assessment includes patient’s diagnosis, past medical history, current medications, age, patient’s profile, allergies, and laboratory findings. All of these factors are considered by the nurse before administration of the medication.(Taylor, 2011). It is evident during administration of an medication, there is a complex thought process to be followed through by the nurse. Interruptions during this process (medication administration) can be problematic, and lead to a …show more content…
The fact of the matter is there are far too many medication errors occurring in the healthcare community, interruptions has been identified as a direct cause to countless errors during medication administration. Interventions to reduce interruptions during medication administration are being applied. Nurses are required to be flexible and able to communicate during medication administration to patients, families, physicians and other nursing staff. However, interruptions should be delayed unless essential to the current medication