Reducing medication errors in nursing practice, part 1

Module overview

Medication errors remain one of the most common causes of unintended harm to patients. They contribute to adverse events that compromise patient safety and result in a large financial burden to the health service. The prevention of medication errors, which can happen at every stage of the medication preparation and distribution process, is essential to maintain a safe healthcare system. One third of the errors that harm patients occur during the nurse administration phase: administering medication to patients is therefore a high-risk activity. This module highlights factors that contribute to medication errors, including the safety culture of institutions. It also discusses factors that relate specifically to nurses, such as patient acuity and nursing workload, the distractions and interruptions that can occur during medication administration, the complexity of some medication calculations and administration methods, and the failure of nurses to adhere to policies or guidelines.

Keywords

drug administration, drug calculations, drug errors, management, medication, medication errors, medicines, medicines management, organisational culture, patient safety

Aims

The aim of this module is to provide insight into factors that contribute to medication administration errors, which can result in poor patient safety outcomes.

Intended learning outcomes

After reading this module and completing the time out activities you should be able to:

• List potential risks that contribute to medication errors.
• Explain how a number of unrelated risks, when allowed to coexist, may result in adverse events in the delivery of health care.
• Discuss ways to limit the risk of medication errors in your practice team.
• Reflect on contributions that could be made towards the development of a safe reporting environment for fostering the growth of knowledge and achieving strategies that minimise the potential for medication errors.
• Create a list of resources that promote active involvement in the prevention of medication errors and contribute to safe practice.