Essay on Medication Errors

A medication error occurs when a patient takes the wrong medication or dosage, leading to adverse health impacts. (Jain, 2017, p. 2). The author notes that some of the medication errors can be mild, while others are deadly. Furthermore, the scholar mentions that medication errors are preventable, thus minimizing the probability of patient harm. The scholar proposes three interventions that could have a significant effect on reducing medication errors. The interventions are: educating staff members in health institutions, improving medication packaging, and training patients on safety measures while handling different medications.

Keywords for this Study:

Medication errors, Patient safety, and Drug administration

The Rationale for Choosing the Topic

The issue of medication error is a sensitive topic. From experience, taking the wrong dosage affects an individual’s physical and mental state significantly. Worse yet, taking medication and other substances such as alcohol can trigger life-threatening conditions such as a pulse rate above 100. The latter can lead to a heart attack, preceded by a severe panic attack.

Identifying Academic Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

I used Google Scholar, a reputable database, to access the four scholarly journal articles that I found very relevant to my chosen research topic; Medication Errors. The keywords that guided me in navigating the database were: “medication errors,” “medication administration,” and “medication safety.” I used the “custom range” option to highlight scholarly journal articles published in the last five years. The currency and relevance of the chosen articles inspired the latter decision. I limited my search subject to Nursing, exceptionally patient safety as it pertains to medication errors.

Assessing Credibility and Relevance of Information Sources

I selected peer-reviewed journal articles published within the past five years to boost relevance in the chosen research subject. I also ensured that the authors of the selected scholarly journal articles were reputable in healthcare to achieve the necessary credibility. I also reviewed other works that the scholars had published to assess their level of professional experience. Further, I assessed the chosen sources’ relevance to the topic by confirming that the articles contained indisputable facts and opinions on issues regarding patient safety and in the context of medication errors. I also assessed whether the sources addressed the issue of medication error comprehensively and offered viable solutions. Hence, the four scholarly sources fulfilled the assessment criteria, hence the ultimate decision to include them in the annotated bibliography.

Annotated Bibliography

Dirik, H. F., Samur, M., Seren Intepeler, S., & Hewison, A. (2018). Nurses’ identification and reporting of medication errors. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 28(5-6), 931-938. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.14716

This article addresses the issue of how nurses in Turkey healthcare facilities identify and report medication errors. Fundamentally, the authors argue that patient safety in the context of drug administration is an international health concern, thus the need for proper identification and reporting of medication errors (Dirik et al., 2018, p.931). The scholars conducted quantitative research using surveys to collect the relevant data from the target subjects; nurses in a university hospital in Turkey. The scholars established that nurses usually identify medication errors, but they rarely report the cases due to the fear of possible consequences. However, physicians were credited for being in the frontline in the identification and reporting of medication errors. The scholars challenged the healthcare management bodies to avoid punishing nurses who report medication errors and instead use the reports to improve the healthcare system towards increased patient safety.

Jain, K. (2017). Use of failure mode effect analysis (FMEA) to improve medication management process. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 30(2), 175-186. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijhcqa-09-2015-0113

This scholarly journal article advocates for improving the medication management process using a unique tool known as Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA). The tool has been tested and proven to boost the overall safety of administration processes (Jain, 2017, p. 2). Fundamentally, FMEA guides both patients and nurses in administering the right medicine and dosage, thus minimizing errors in drug administration and enhancing patient safety. Further, the tool shows users how to minimize risks in organizing medication by guiding the users on which processes should be tested first. The article also recommends other changes that need to be adopted for the overall improvement of administering medications. Such changes include removing medications that have been discontinued from pharmaceuticals, clinics, and even in healthcare facilities.

Schmidt, K., Taylor, A., & Pearson, A. (2017). Reduction of medication errors. Journal Of Nursing Care Quality, 32(2), 150-156. https://doi.org/10.1097/ncq.0000000000000217

In this article, the author discusses a unique approach that can reduce medication errors. The approach is identified as Socio-Technical Probabilistic Risk Assessment (ST-PRA). According to Schmidt et al. (2017, p.150), ST-PRA is a tool that helps users predict the probability of a risk occurring based on underlying literature or reports from persons who are involved in particular processes. In the context of medication errors, the ST-PRA tool helps identify some common causes of errors in drug administration. Consequently, frontline nurses could use the identified causes of error to develop viable intervention opportunities. The article further highlights several recommendations that align with the ST-PRA process towards maximizing patient safety. One viable recommendation was double-checking the drug administration processes that the nurses were following to ensure uniformity across the healthcare sector.

Gates, P. J., Baysari, M. T., Mumford, V., Raban, M. Z., & Westbrook, J. I. (2019). Standardising the classification of harm associated with medication errors: The harm associated with medication error classification (HAMEC). Drug Safety, 42(8), 931-939. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40264-019-00823-4

The scholars used a tool known as The harm associated with medication error classification (HAMEC). The tool is efficient for use across clinical and research settings (Gates et al., 2019, p. 1). This article outlines five levels that can be used to classify medication errors. The levels are as follows:

(Gates et al., 2019, p. 5).

In summary, the table highlights the different magnitudes of medication errors and their impact on a patient. The classification aims at challenging medical practitioners to be cautious in administering medicines and, in particular, the correct dosage. The table indicates that some errors could have deadly consequences, so nurses need to be keen while attending to patients’ medication needs to avoid such errors.

Learnings from the Research

The reviewed scholarly works have enlightened me on the various medication errors and how to avoid such errors both as a patient and a caregiver. For instance, in the table above, I was able to identify the different categories under which medication errors fall. Therefore, I endeavor to be keener in drug administration moving forward. Lastly, I have learned of two essential tools that enhance patient safety in the context of drug administration. The tools are FMEA and ST-PRA.

References

Dirik, H. F., Samur, M., Seren Intepeler, S., & Hewison, A. (2018). Nurses’ identification and reporting of medication errors. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 28(5-6), 931-938. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.14716

Gates, P. J., Baysari, M. T., Mumford, V., Raban, M. Z., & Westbrook, J. I. (2019). Standardising the classification of harm associated with medication errors: The harm associated with medication error classification (HAMEC). Drug Safety, 42(8), 931-939. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40264-019-00823-4

Jain, K. (2017). Use of failure mode effect analysis (FMEA) to improve medication management process. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 30(2), 175-186. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijhcqa-09-2015-0113

Schmidt, K., Taylor, A., & Pearson, A. (2017). Reduction of medication errors. Journal Of Nursing Care Quality, 32(2), 150-156. https://doi.org/10.1097/ncq.0000000000000217