Medication Errors Essay

When doing the job of nursing one of the most important aspects is patient safety. The biggest danger to patients is medication. A medication error is when the nurse gives a patient the wrong medication or the dose of medication could be wrong. The danger of the medication error is that it can lead to an over dose, a reaction, or even death to a patient. There are several things to know when dealing with medication errors like who should fill it out, who should receive a completed report, why would you fill one out, what is included, and what a near miss is. The first thing to know is that it is the responsibility of the nurse who made or discovers the medication error. Once the report is filled out then it is given to the unit nurse supervisor then forward to the QI department. There are several reasons why you would fill out a report such as: Omission error, Wrong dose, Wrong route, Wrong rate, Wrong drug, Wrong time, Wrong duration of treatment, Wrong patient, Wrong preparation of a dose, Incorrect administration technique. The most common things that cause medication errors are illegibly written orders, dispensing errors, calculation errors, monitoring errors, administration errors. When filling out a medication report you should describe the error or preventable adverse drug reaction and what went wrong? Was this an actual medication accident (reached the patient) or are you expressing concern about a potential error or writing about an error that was discovered before it reached the patient? Type of practice site (hospital, private office, retail pharmacy, drug company, long-term care facility, etc.). Generic name (INN or official name) of all products involved. Brand name of all products involved. Dosage form, concentration or strength, etc. Where error was based on communication problem, is a sample of the order available? Are samples or pictures available if requested? State your recommendations for error prevention. You also have to include your name, email, fax, address, title, phone, and location. A near miss is any Circumstance, process, or event that did not reach the patient, but has the potential to cause harm. It is considered a medication  error but one of the best turn outs of medication error is a near miss. There should never be any reason for medication errors but they do happen in real life.