Nursing Case for Change: PDSA Cycle to Reduce Medication Errors

This report addresses the significant issue of medication errors in Australia, where a notable percentage of hospital admissions are linked to medication-related problems. It introduces the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle as a model for improvement, emphasizing its iterative four-stage approach to problem-solving and process enhancement. The report highlights the critical role of healthcare professionals in preventing and identifying medication errors, categorizing various types of errors such as prescribing inaccuracies, omissions, and incorrect dosages. It advocates for strategies like double-checking prescriptions to mitigate these errors. The recommendation emphasizes the PDSA cycle's support for continuous improvement in medication error reduction through effective strategy formulation, ultimately leading to enhanced healthcare service quality. The conclusion underscores the purpose of reducing medication errors to provide quality services, asserting that the effective utilization of models and strategies will facilitate changes for improved medication practices. The document includes references to support the arguments and findings presented.

NURSING

CASE FOR CHANGE
Medication error are considered a significant problem in the Australia in compared to
other countries. According to the reports it has been estimated that around 2%-3% health
care issues in Australian hospital admission is related to medication errors only.
 In other words it can be said that around 230,000 admission in the country are caused
due to patients taking too much or too little medication annually.

MODEL FOR IMPROVEMENT
 With the use of PDSA Cycle changes for improvement can be inculcated. According to
author, Plan Do Study Act is a four stage interactive problem solving model that is used
for improving a process and carrying out the changes in the processes.
 In other words, according to the view point of author, the PDSA cycle begins with the
step of planning that is using of theories and analysing the success metrics, further
these activities are followed by the do step that is where the plan in implemented.
 In third step the implemented step in studies and analysed. And lastly the act step
which closes the cycle , generated by the entire process.

CONTD…
To reduce medication errors and to improve quality health care
 It can be analysed that medication error is one of the most serious problem in
the health care system of NSW. Health care professional plays a major role in
preventing and catching these medication. It can be analysed there are various types of
medication error that is prescribing, omission, wrong times, unauthorised drug,
improper dose etc.
 thus it is very important that some strategies are followed buy the health care
professional so that these errors could be prevented that is while prescribing medicines
professional should double check the prescription.

RECOMMENDATION AND
CONCLUSION
Recommendations
 PDSA cycle will support continuous improvement in the area of medication error by
effective formulation of strategies.
 With effective formulation of strategies it will result in providing quality health care
services.
Conclusion
 It can be concluded that the purpose is to reduce the medication error so that
quality services can be provided. Thus, with effective use of models and strategies it
will help in enforcing changes for improving medication errors

REFERENCES
 Asensi-Vicente, J., Jiménez-Ruiz, I. and Vizcaya-Moreno, M.F., 2018. Medication
errors involving nursing students: A systematic review. Nurse educator. 43(5). pp.E1-
E5.
 Marvanova, M. and Henkel, P.J., 2018. Collaborating on medication errors in
nursing. The clinical teacher. 15(2). pp.163-168.
 Bolandianbafghi, S., Salimi, T., and Sarebanhassanabadi, M., 2017. Correlation
between medication errors with job satisfaction and fatigue of nurses. Electronic
physician. 9(8). p.5142.