Medication Error Prevention Plans
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Home Food Drugs Medical Devices Radiation-Emitting Products Vaccines, Blood & Biologics Animal & Veterinary Cosmetics Tobacco Products Drugs Home Drugs Resources for how to prevent medication errors in nursing You Information for Consumers (Drugs) Strategies to Reduce Medication Errors: Working to Improve ways to prevent medication errors Medication Safety Share Tweet Linkedin Pin it More sharing options Linkedin Pin it Email Print When Jacquelyn Ley shattered how to prevent medication errors in hospitals her elbow on the soccer field, her parents set out to find her the best care in Minneapolis. "We drove past five other hospitals to get to the one we wanted," says medication error prevention strategies Carol Ley, M.D., an occupational health physician. Her husband, an orthopedic surgeon, made sure Jacquelyn got the right surgeon. After a successful three-hour surgery to repair the broken bones, Jacquelyn, who was 9 at the time, received the pain medicine morphine through a pump and was hooked up to a heart monitor, breathing monitor, and blood oxygen monitor. Her recovery was going so well that
Most Common Medication Errors By Nurses
doctors decided to turn off the morphine pump and to forgo regular checks of her vital signs.Carol Ley slept in her daughter's hospital room that night. When she woke up in the middle of the night and checked on her, Jacquelyn was barely breathing. "I called her name, but she wouldn't respond," she says. "I shook her and called for help." The morphine pump hadn't been shut down, but had accidentally been turned up high. The narcotic flooded Jacquelyn's body. She survived the overdose, but it was a close call. "If three more hours had gone by, I don't think Jacquelyn would have survived," Ley says. "Fortunately, I woke up."Ley was pleased with the way the hospital handled the error. "They came right out and said the morphine pump was incorrectly programmed, they told me the steps they were going to take to make sure Jacquelyn was OK, and they also told me what they were going to do to make sure this kind of mistake won't happen again. And that's very important to me." The hospital began using pumps that are easier to use and revamped nurses' training. Ley bel
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How To Reduce Medication Errors By Nurses
| 0 comments It is important for all nurses to strategies to reduce medication errors become familiar with various strategies to prevent or reduce the likelihood of medication errors. Here reducing medication errors in nursing practice are ten strategies to help you do just that.1. Ensure the five rights of medication administration. Nurses must ensure that institutional policies related to medication http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm143553.htm transcription are followed. It isn’t adequate to transcribe the medication as prescribed, but to ensure the correct medication is prescribed for the correct patient, in the correct dosage, via the correct route, and timed correctly (also known as the five rights).2. Follow proper medication reconciliation procedures. Institutions must have http://minoritynurse.com/10-strategies-for-preventing-medication-errors/ mechanisms in place for medication reconciliation when transferring a patient from one institution to the next or from one unit to the next in the same institution. Review and verify each medication for the correct patient, correct medication, correct dosage, correct route, and correct time against the transfer orders, or medications listed on the transfer documents. Nurses must compare this to the medication administration record (MAR). Often not all elements of a medication record are available for easy verification, but it is of paramount importance to verify with every possible source—including the discharging or transferring institution/unit, the patient or patient’s family, and physician—to prevent potential errors related to improper reconciliation. There are several forms for medication reconciliation available from various vendors.3. Double check—or even triple check—procedures. This is a process whereby another nurse on the same shift or an incoming shift reviews all new orders to
Planning for Care > Preventing Errors > 20 Tips to Help Prevent Medical Errors
20 Tips to Help Prevent Medical Errors: Patient Fact Sheet This information is for reference purposes only. It was current when https://archive.ahrq.gov/patients-consumers/care-planning/errors/20tips/ produced and may now be outdated. Archive material is no longer maintained, and some links may not work. Persons with disabilities having difficulty accessing this information should contact us at: https://info.ahrq.gov. Let us know the nature of the problem, the Web address of what you want, and your contact information. Please go to www.ahrq.gov for current information. Select to Download PDF (295 KB). Medical errors can occur anywhere in the health medication error care system: In hospitals, clinics, surgery centers, doctors' offices, nursing homes, pharmacies, and patients' homes. Errors can involve medicines, surgery, diagnosis, equipment, or lab reports. These tips tell what you can do to get safer care. One in seven Medicare patients in hospitals experience a medical error. But medical errors can occur anywhere in the health care system: In hospitals, clinics, surgery centers, doctors' offices, nursing homes, pharmacies, and patients' homes. Errors to prevent medication can involve medicines, surgery, diagnosis, equipment, or lab reports. They can happen during even the most routine tasks, such as when a hospital patient on a salt-free diet is given a high-salt meal. Most errors result from problems created by today's complex health care system. But errors also happen when doctors* and patients have problems communicating. These tips tell what you can do to get safer care. What You Can Do To Stay Safe The best way you can help to prevent errors is to be an active member of your health care team. That means taking part in every decision about your health care. Research shows that patients who are more involved with their care tend to get better results. Medicines Make sure that all of your doctors know about every medicine you are taking. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medicines and dietary supplements, such as vitamins and herbs. Bring all of your medicines and supplements to your doctor visits. "Brown bagging" your medicines can help you and your doctor talk about them and find out if there are any problems. It can also help your doctor keep your records up to date and help you get better quality care. Make sure your doctor knows about any allergies and adverse r