If you make a medication error, return to the basics of the six rights of medication administration: the right drug, dose, route, time, patient and documentation. If the patient tells you it is the wrong medication or treatment, stop and check the order .
Which must be completed if a medication error occurs?
someone else has made a medication error, you must IMMEDIATELY REPORT THE ERROR TO THE RN CM/DN AND APPROPRIATELY DOCUMENT THE ERROR. According to your agency's policy, your supervisor should also be notified.
What do you do if you make a medication error?
All medication errors, incidents and near misses should be reported to the duty manager to inform them what has happened and also what action has been taken to rectify the immediate situation and what has been done to prevent it happening again.
Who is responsible when a medication error is made?
The truth is medication errors occur all of the time. Doctors who prescribe, pharmacists who prepare , and nurses who administer medication are all responsible to make sure that it will cause us no harm.
What are examples of medication errors?
- Prescribing.
- Omission.
- Wrong time.
- Unauthorized drug.
- Improper dose.
- Wrong dose prescription/wrong dose preparation.
- Administration errors including the incorrect route of administration, giving the drug to the wrong patient, extra dose or wrong rate.
What is the most common cause of medication errors?
The most common causes of medication errors are: Poor communication between your doctors . Poor communication between you and your doctors . Drug names that sound alike and medications that look alike .
What happens if you give someone the wrong medication?
Dispensing the wrong drug can cause great harm
Missing a dose of a drug due to a nurse's failure to administer it could result in the failure of the patient's entire treatment regimen. The immediate medical consequences of medication errors might include the formation of blood clots or a failed surgical procedure .
How can medication errors be prevented?
- Ensure the five rights of medication administration. ...
- Follow proper medication reconciliation procedures. ...
- Double check—or even triple check—procedures. ...
- Have the physician (or another nurse) read it back. ...
- Consider using a name alert.
What are the consequences of medication errors?
Consequences faced by physicians after medication errors can include loss of patient trust, civil actions, criminal charges, and medical board discipline .
Is medication error a negligence?
Prescription drug errors vary in type and severity, but many times they are the result of negligence on the part of a medical practitioner . Such negligence, whether through ill intent or, more commonly, a common slip-up, can cause great risk to patients.
Can I sue for being given the wrong medication?
The short answer? Yes, absolutely . You can sue a pharmacy for any damages resulting from receiving a different medication than the one prescribed or other error. In fact, suing a pharmacy for giving you the wrong medication, wrong dosage, or wrong instructions is important.
Can I sue a doctor for prescribing wrong medication?
If your doctor prescribes you the wrong medication and it ends up causing you harm, you could have a valid claim for medical malpractice .
What are the top 5 medical errors?
- Misdiagnosis. Errors in diagnosis are one of the most common medical mistakes. ...
- Medication Errors. Medication errors are one of the most common mistakes that can occur during treatment. ...
- Infections. ...
- Falls. ...
- Being Sent Home Too Early.
How many types of medication errors are there?
There are four broad types of medication errors (labelled 1–4 in Figure 2). Knowledge-based errors (through lack of knowledge)—for example, giving penicillin, without having established whether the patient is allergic.
What are the three common causes of medication errors APD?
- Inadequate nursing home staff.
- Errors when writing or reading prescriptions.
- Not providing food, water or antacids.
What are 5 common causes of medication errors?
- The Eight Common Root Causes of Medical Errors. ...
- Communication Problems. ...
- Inadequate Information Flow. ...
- Human Problems. ...
- Patient-Related Issues.
- Organizational Transfer of Knowledge.
- Staffing Patterns and Workflow.
- Technical Failures.
