Medication Errors: Causes, Effects, and Safety Strategies Analysis

This essay delves into the critical issue of medication errors within the healthcare industry, examining their root causes, far-reaching effects on both patients and healthcare providers, and strategies for mitigation. The paper identifies common medical errors, such as incorrect drug administration, dosage errors, and patient misidentification, highlighting their potential consequences, including prolonged hospital stays, increased treatment costs, and even fatalities. Drawing upon the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQH) guidelines and peer-reviewed journals, the essay discusses strategies such as comprehensive patient information documentation, continuity of medication management, and robust medication management processes to minimize errors. The analysis underscores the importance of a multidisciplinary approach, encompassing improved documentation, patient education, and rigorous adherence to established protocols to enhance patient safety and improve healthcare outcomes. This work offers valuable insights for healthcare professionals seeking to reduce medication errors and improve patient care.

Running head: MEDICATION ERRORS
MEDICATION ERRORS
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MEDICATION ERRORS
Introduction
Humans are prone to errors, and those in healthcare are not an exception. Many of the
errors occur due to the ordinary course of cognitive and behavioral adaptations, which
controls personal conduct. One of the central roles of the nurses in a hospital is the
following and execution of orders in a hospital. Many errors occur in the implementation
of these orders. Another source of errors in lack of skills, knowledge, and experience in
the medical field. Students and incompetent nurses are prone to committing mistakes.
Mistakes in the medical field compromise the safety of the patients, increases the cost
of their treatment, can cause other health problems or even death (Makary et al., 2016).
Although all the other personnel in the hospital is prone to committing errors, the nurses
commit most of these mistakes (Bogner, 2018). That is because they spend most of
their time in the hospital, and they are also responsible for the execution of most of the
orders. It is, therefore, imperative to address the issue of errors in the health industry
and also focuses on the measures to reduce the mistakes. This paper will focus on the
different types of errors committed in the medical field, the causes, effects, and ways of
reducing medical errors, according to the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality
in Health Care.
Common medical errors
Administration of medicine is one of the critical responsibilities of the nurses. The
primary role of the nurses is to prepare and administer drugs to patients in the correct
doses. Before the medicine reaches the patient, it goes through several steps that
involve prescription, preparation, dispensing, administration, and monitoring of the drug
effects in a patient. The nurse is the last person in the chain who interacts with the
patient and administers the drugs to patients. The nurses can detect errors committed
by other medical personnel and prevent the harm that comes with the wrong medication
(Keers et al., 2013).
Errors can occur due to inability to follow orders. The doctor writes the medication and
the dose to be administered to each patient. The nurse is expected to follow these
orders strictly to ensure the administration of the right medicine in the correct dosages
and to the right patient. Nurses should not follow orders blindly, and they are expected
to identify any mistakes in the prescription of the drugs. In many hospitals, a single
nurse is responsible for taking care of many patients. Errors may occur during the
preparation of the drugs where the wrong dose is prepared. One of the fatal mistakes
done in the preparation and administration of medicines is an overdose. Some drugs
have narrow therapeutic index and a slight overdose can result in very serious health
effects on the patient and even death. Some medications like digoxin require stringent
monitoring because of its high potential to cause toxicity in the patient (NMC, 2015).

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Dosage varies with different routes of administration of drugs, age, and weight and
health condition of the patient. Through regular interaction with the patients, the nurses
are better placed in knowing the progress of the patients, which helps in the prescription
of the dosage. Some drugs may be administered through several routes. Each route of
administration has a specific dose. For instance, morphine can be administered orally or
intravenously (Yeleswarapu, 2014). The dosage for oral administration of the dosage is
higher than that of intravenous administration. A mistake of administration of the oral
dosage intravenously is fatal, especially in children and critically ill patients. (Pentin et
al., 2016).
Optimum care should be taken by the nurses to ensure that they administer the
medications to the correct patients. Switching of medicines for patients is very common
in hospitals (Hall et al., 2016). The errors have been reduced in the hospital by
entrusting the responsibility of drug administration to at least two nurses. One nurse
prepares the drugs as the other confirms that the medicines are prepared in correct
doses for the right patients. That way, the errors in the administration of the drugs are
significantly reduced (Knezevic et al 2016).
Nurses are expected to have all the required knowledge concerning nursing practice
before they are allowed to handle patients. Nursing schools ensure the students are
fully prepared for taking nursing jobs by making attachment compulsory. Part of the
nursing course requires the students to spend time in the hospital to gain experience in
patient care. Some of the mistakes are purely due to a lack of knowledge and
competency. Nurses are expected to do calculations to determine the right dosages.
Wrong calculations can result in overdose or under-dose. Overdose can be fatal, while
under-dose can result in the development of drug resistance, especially for antibiotics
(Pincus, 2016).
Management of medical errors
Research has indicated that medical errors prolong hospital stay by an average of 2
days, which is an additional cost on the patient. A study conducted in America has
shown that medical errors cause a third of medical complications (Cheragi et al., 2013).
The data is horrifying, and it is, therefore, essential to adopt the measures that have
been suggested to reduce medical errors. According to the Australian Commission on
Safety and Quality in Healthcare (ACSQH), one of the strategies for minimizing medical
errors is ensuring documentation of patient information. Before attending to a patient, it
is essential to have a medical history of the patient that may include any related
conditions, allergies, and even other drugs taken before, including over the counter
drugs.
A patient's medical history should be specific, including the type of medication, dates,
and dosage of the medicine. This information enables the detection of drug-related

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problems and also guides in the decision making concerning the diagnosis and
treatment of the patient. Through medical history, the medical personnel can continue
the management of patient's conditions. Medical history enables early commencement
of treatment because unnecessary tests are skipped. Learning about the known allergy
conditions of the patient and adverse drug interactions helps the medical personnel in
the medication of the patient (Hay et al., 2019).
The other strategy that has been suggested by ACSQH is the continuity of medication
management. Medical reviews involve several people, including the doctors, caregivers,
and the patient. The reviews are individualized for the patient and are essential for
those patients at a higher risk of experiencing medicine-related problems. Providing the
patients and caregivers with information concerning the drugs helps the patients to
make informed decisions concerning their drug preferences and ways to manage their
conditions. Giving the patients information about their drugs helps in their adherence to
dosage. It also reduced their visits to health facilities (Clyne et al., 2018).
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are various causes of medical errors. Some of these errors can be
avoided to avoid the huge losses associated with the mistakes. These losses include
the death of patients, additional medication costs, and even lawsuits that are expensive
for individuals and hospitals. It is, therefore, essential to adopt the measures mentioned
above to reduce medical errors because many patients have died and high losses have
also been recorded due to the mistakes.

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References
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Pentin, J., Green, M., Smith, J. (2016) Undertaking safe medicine administration with
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Nursing and Midwifery Council (2015) The CodeProfessional standards of practice and
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Keers RN, Williams SD, Cooke J, Ashcroft DM (2013a) Causes of Medication
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