Assessment 1: Medication Errors by Distraction in a Medical Unit

This presentation explores the critical issue of medication errors caused by distractions in healthcare settings. The overview highlights the significance of this problem, emphasizing how distractions, such as noise and interruptions, can lead to adverse patient outcomes. The presentation delves into the background, explaining the link between attention and patient safety, and the objectives, which focus on educating healthcare staff about these risks and implementing strategies to minimize distractions. The outline covers the impact of interruptions, the clinical environment, and the effects on nurses, including their efficacy and professionalism. The conclusion stresses the importance of a distraction-free environment, supported by research findings. The presentation includes references to relevant literature and underscores the need for proactive measures to reduce medication errors and enhance patient safety through a comprehensive understanding of the factors contributing to distraction and its consequences.

1FACULTY OF HEALTH
MEDICATION ERRORS BY DISTRACTION
Student Name:
Student Number:
Tutor Name:

2
Overview
• This is a huge matter of concern as the distraction can
cause errors in the medication of the patient (Williams
and Drew 2017)
• Can have adverse consequences
• The main objective is to know about the factors that
causes distraction (Volpintesta 2013)

3
Background
• Medication errors are a common problem
among nurses who are distracted due to
excessive work (Thomas et al. 2017).
• This topic holds significance as it
explains the link between attention and
healthcare (Rodziewicz and Hipskind
2019)
• Distraction causes medication error by
the nurses (Alemdar and Aktaş 2013)

4
Objectives
• Medication error can be due
to noise or any other sound
in the hospital or clinic. Thus
these factors need to be
taught to all the healthcare
staff (Jothiraj et al. 2013).
• This can be done by
controlling the interruptions
and distractions in the
hospital (McBride and
LeVasseur 2017)

5
Outline of topic
• Interruptions increases medication error
• Certain clinical environment need to be distraction for
the proper medication process to take place (Mentis et
al. 2017)

6
Impact on nurses
• Affects their efficacy
• Disparity between patients and nurses
• Affects the professionalism of the nurses (Mentis et al. 2017)

7
Conclusion
• This topic is important as it states the need of
distraction free environment in the hospital.
• This was demonstrated by the increase in risk factors
(Thomas et al. 2015).
• This can be reduced by locating the critical
departments away from the places of noise in the
hospital (Williams and Drew 2017)

8
References
Thomas, I., Nicol, L., Regan, L., Cleland, J., Maliepaard, D., Clark, L., Walker, K. and Duncan, J., 2015.
Driven to distraction: a prospective controlled study of a simulated ward round experience to improve
patient safety teaching for medical students. BMJ Qual Saf, 24(2), pp.154-161.
Williams, L.H. and Drew, T., 2017. Distraction in diagnostic radiology: how is search through volumetric
medical images affected by interruptions?. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 2(1), p.12.
Mentis, H.M., Chellali, A., Manser, K., Cao, C.G. and Schwaitzberg, S.D., 2016. A systematic review of the
effect of distraction on surgeon performance: directions for operating room policy and surgical
training. Surgical endoscopy, 30(5), pp.1713-1724.
Jothiraj, H., Howland-Harris, J., Evley, R. and Moppett, I.K., 2013. Distractions and the anaesthetist: a
qualitative study of context and direction of distraction. British journal of anaesthesia, 111(3), pp.477-482.
McBride, D.L. and LeVasseur, S.A., 2017. Personal communication device use by nurses providing in-patient
care: survey of prevalence, patterns, and distraction potential. JMIR human factors, 4(2), p.e10.

9
References
Alemdar, D.K. and Aktaş, Y.Y., 2013. Medical error types and causes made by nurses in Turkey. TAF Preventive
Medicine Bulletin, 12(3), pp.307-314.
Rodziewicz, T.L. and Hipskind, J.E., 2019. Medical error prevention. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing.
Thomas, I., Nicol, L., Regan, L., Cleland, J., Maliepaard, D., Clark, L., Walker, K. and Duncan, J., 2015. Driven to
distraction: a prospective controlled study of a simulated ward round experience to improve patient safety teaching
for medical students. BMJ Qual Saf, 24(2), pp.154-161.
Williams, L.H. and Drew, T., 2017. Distraction in diagnostic radiology: how is search through volumetric medical
images affected by interruptions?. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 2(1), p.12.
Volpintesta, E., 2013. Administrative overload as a cause of diagnostic error. JAMA internal medicine, 173(20),
pp.1927-1927.

10