How to Prevent Medication Errors
There are several ways to avoid medication errors in the healthcare setting. Common mistakes made when giving out medications include disorganization, miscommunication among hospital staff and careless errors. In the following paragraphs I will explain in detail how to avoid medication errors and the importance of excellent communication and interpersonal skills among nurses and patients. I will also clarify the reasons for common mistakes made in the hospital setting and ways to avoid these mistakes. Also be sure to ask the patient their name and date of birth .
Medication errors can be prevented simply by properly labeling and storing medications. Separate problematic and narcotic drugs in a lock box in …show more content…
It is the medical staff’s responsibility to ensure the patient’s medical knowledge. If you are uncertain of a patient’s medical literacy you can evaluate how they fill out a new patient questionnaire. Nurses and doctors can also determine a patient’s medical literacy by a proper assessment.
Oftentimes medication mistakes can occur when a nurse or doctor is fatigued or overly stressed. Nurses and doctors are encouraged to ask for assistance when taking care of patients. If a nurse or doctor needs clarification on a medication or procedure they are recommended to ask questions to clear up any misunderstandings. When calculating how much medication to give a patient nurses are encouraged to ask at least one other nurse to help calculate how much medication is required for that patient.
A simple way to avoid medication mistakes is merely paying attention to the task at hand. When pulling medications for your daily med pass be sure to limit distractions as much as possible. If residents interrupt you while you are pulling medications simply tell the resident that you will be with them as soon as possible. Nurses often make medication errors when they go from one task to
There are several ways to avoid medication errors in the healthcare setting. Common mistakes made when giving out medications include disorganization, miscommunication among hospital staff and careless errors. In the following paragraphs I will explain in detail how to avoid medication errors and the importance of excellent communication and interpersonal skills among nurses and patients. I will also clarify the reasons for common mistakes made in the hospital setting and ways to avoid these mistakes. Also be sure to ask the patient their name and date of birth .
Medication errors can be prevented simply by properly labeling and storing medications. Separate problematic and narcotic drugs in a lock box in …show more content…
It is the medical staff’s responsibility to ensure the patient’s medical knowledge. If you are uncertain of a patient’s medical literacy you can evaluate how they fill out a new patient questionnaire. Nurses and doctors can also determine a patient’s medical literacy by a proper assessment.
Oftentimes medication mistakes can occur when a nurse or doctor is fatigued or overly stressed. Nurses and doctors are encouraged to ask for assistance when taking care of patients. If a nurse or doctor needs clarification on a medication or procedure they are recommended to ask questions to clear up any misunderstandings. When calculating how much medication to give a patient nurses are encouraged to ask at least one other nurse to help calculate how much medication is required for that patient.
A simple way to avoid medication mistakes is merely paying attention to the task at hand. When pulling medications for your daily med pass be sure to limit distractions as much as possible. If residents interrupt you while you are pulling medications simply tell the resident that you will be with them as soon as possible. Nurses often make medication errors when they go from one task to