Written Report: Medication Safety | Assignment

Written report: Medication Safety
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Introduction
Medication error can be defined as an inaccuracy in the treatment process of the
patient, which can result in the complication of the medical condition of the
patient and thus, lead to potential harm of the patient and in turn decrease
patient safety (Cloete, 2015). This can occur at any step of the treatment
process- from incorrect drug administration to alteration of the treatment
procedure al together to applying the wrong nursing interventions and strategies
while providing care for the patient. The evident increase of medication errors
have led to the reduced percentage of people receiving quality therapeutic
services and benefits. The most common medication errors are related to
accuracy in infusion rates and drug dosages. This causes a decrease in the
patient safety and increased hospital admissions. This can further lead to
increased patient stay under hospital care, which results in the increase of
medication cost behind rectifying these errors (Cloete, 2015).
Body
Poor communication : One of the most common reasons behind the increased
incidence of medical error is poor communication between the nurse and the
patient as well as between nurse and doctor. Communication is a very crucial
tool in healthcare setting, which when used effectively can be used to help them
identify the medical condition of the patient properly to help in the accurate
treatment of the patient (Www2.health.vic.gov.au, 2019). Nurses use this tool to
build trust between the patient and their healthcare providers, and doctors use
incorporate this tool to convey relevant and important information to the nurse,
in order to accurately carry out the treatment procedure (Ozaras and Abaan, 2016).
Thus poor communication in healthcare setting can be detrimental for the health
of the patient and might increase the patient mortality rate, by increasing the
incidence of medication errors in the treatment process. This can thus negatively
affect the patient outcomes of the hospital.
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Incorrect interpretation of medical prescriptions and drug abbreviations
:The third most common form of medication error is the confusion between the
healthcare professionals regarding similar drugs that either look alike or sound
similar. This can also be the misinterpretation of the medical abbreviations
mentioned in medical charts and prescriptions, by healthcare individuals. This
form of error is mainly due to the lack of medical knowledge between the
healthcare professionals. This error thus, leads to the administration or
prescription of incorrect medications to the patient, which increases the extent
of adverse drug reactions in the patients, detrimentally affecting their health by
complicating their medical condition (Roughead, Semple and Rosenfeld, 2016). Thus,
this affects the safety of the patient as it can lead to the increase in the
incidence of medication errors like administering the wrong medication, dosage
or following the incorrect infusion rate. This can further affect the decision
making and problem solving abilities of the nurses as well as the doctors.
However, it has been observed that effectively dealing with the workload is
directly proportional to the level of experience of the staff members (Parry, Barriball
and While, 2015).
Work- related to stress :Healthcare sector employees are known to have
heavy workload, which can detrimentally affect their effectiveness and
productivity, and as a result have a direct effect on the safety of the patient. This
is because of the decreased accuracy of the service provided by the nurses,
when under prolonged work stress. This mental burnout of the healthcare
professionals can further lead to the development of negativity in the workplace
leading to straining of the relationship between them and thus creating a
discrepancy in the quality of the service provided (Summers, 2017).
Conclusion
Poor communication, build-up of work stress, and incorrect interpretation are
some of the most common reasons for the increased incidence of medication
errors in the healthcare sector. Thus, as a registered nurse, I would require to
first make sure that accurate documentation is done during the admission
process of the patient. Upon admission and after the doctor’s visit, during the
administration of the prescribed drugs, five rights of medication administration
are followed. We would require documenting each and every medication
administered, test done, and symptom of the patient in the medical chart of that
patient, to ensure accuracy of the treatment procedure. I will need to learn the
medical abbreviations of the medication, especially the look alike and sound
alike drugs or put up a detailed chart to ensure that correct medications are
being administered to the patients. Nurses are also required to learn how to
properly manage emergency situations and reduce discomfort of the patients.
During these times, I would need to ensure that accurate information is
conveyed between the healthcare professionals and that stress is managed
properly to prevent employee burnout and facilitate increased patient safety and
satisfaction. Thus, in conclusion, healthcare professionals can implement many
important and achievable strategies which will help in the significant reduction of
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