Professional Studies in Nursing: Case Study of Medication Error

This case study focuses on a medication error scenario in a nursing context, specifically a 'wrong-patient' medication error. The analysis examines the actions of a nurse, Sally, who administered medication to the wrong patient, Mrs. Thompson instead of Mrs. Thomas. The assignment explores the ethical and professional responsibilities of nurses, referencing the Code of Professional Conduct for Nurses in Australia and the Code of Ethics for Nurses in Australia. It highlights the importance of incident reporting, patient safety, and adherence to nursing standards. The analysis emphasizes the need for nurses to prevent errors, promote a culture of safety, and act in accordance with ethical principles like beneficence. The provided references include relevant publications and guidelines from the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia.

Running head: PROFESSIONAL STUDIES IN NURSING
Professional studies in nursing
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

1PROFESSIONAL STUDIES IN NURSING
From the scenario 3, it is evident that it is case of “wrong-patient” medication
error (Galanter et al., 2013). In the scenario, Sally gave wrong medication to Mrs
Thompson in bed 3A that was intended for Mrs Thomas in bed 3B. This type of
medication error during administration and transcription hamper patient safety. The
medication was administered for a wrong patient with similar name. The medicines were
vitamins and aperients; Sally gives the right medication to Mrs Thompson in bed 3A.
Considering the whole scenario, it can be stated that Sally’s approach of ‘least
said soonest mended’ was wrong. It is obvious that medical error can occur in nursing
profession, however, as a healthcare professional, one has the responsibility to fulfil the
requirement of Professional Code of Conduct and Ethics and not harm any patient.
Although, Sally disclosed the medication error to the patient, it was her responsibility to
report the incident to the concerned authority.
Although, the error did not result in a potentially serious event, it was still an
error. Under the Conduct Statement 2 of NMBA, Code of Professional Conduct for
Nurses in Australia, nurses have the responsibility to work in accordance of enhancing
patient safety under their provision of care (Nursing and midwifery board of Australia,
2018). They should perform competent and safe care related to quality and safety in
healthcare. Incident reporting and health documentation is important for event analysis
like medication error and open disclosure of procedures. Under the Value Statement 6
of NMBA, Code of Ethics for Nurses in Australia, nurses have the responsibility to
engage in promoting a culture of safety environment that reduce adverse events
incidence and support open disclosure (Code of Ethics for Nurses in Australia, 2017).
Therefore, from the incident, it can be concluded that nurses have to act to
prevent or control errors and adverse incidents in their clinical settings and reduce risk
of harm. Apart from reporting of errors, nurses should also adhere to ethical principles
of beneficence where they should undertake actions that prevent or remove errors
ensuring patient safety.

2PROFESSIONAL STUDIES IN NURSING
References
Code of Ethics for Nurses in Australia. (2018). 5_New-Code-of-Ethics-for-Nurses-.
Retrieved 7 March 2018, from http://file:///C:/Users/user00/Downloads/5_New-
Code-of-Ethics-for-Nurses-August-2008%20(3).PDF
Galanter, W., Falck, S., Burns, M., Laragh, M., & Lambert, B. L. (2013). Indication-
based prescribing prevents wrong-patient medication errors in computerized
provider order entry (CPOE). Journal of the American Medical Informatics
Association, 20(3), 477-481. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/amiajnl-2012-001555
Standard of practice, Nursing and midwifery board of Australia, (2018). Code of
Professional Conduct for Nurses in Australia. Retrieved 7 March 2018, from
http://file:///C:/Users/user00/Downloads/1798150_1830561517_Nursing-and-
Midwifery-Board---.PDF