Research is a vital component of nursing practice. The process requires nurses to identify credible and reliable source of evidence-based information. Medication errors are among the issues that require health care professionals to demonstrate knowledge, skills, and experiences in conducting adequate research and identifying sustainable solutions. For instance, wrong medication administration is a concern that causes adverse drug reactions, severe health complications, and premature deaths. High number of medication errors also cause readmissions, prolonged hospitalization, and additional costs that affect an organization’s reputation. While I have not encountered a medication administration error, I am familiar with a case where a nurse administered Tryptophan instead of baclofen, leading to a patient’s death. The case is among the many that reveal the need for proactive commitment to strengthening vigilance when preparing and administering medications.
Medication errors are preventable outcomes that may cause patient harm. The common types include, incorrect dosage, failure to identify drug interactions, dispensing an incorrect medication, and wrong patient identification. Other causes of medication errors include miscommunication, ineffective patient and staff education, distractions, and poor information flow across departments (Cetin & Cebeci, 2021). Organizations should also pay close attention to issues such as ineligible handwriting, missing information, misleading labelling, and inadequate documentation (Alghamdi et al., 2019). The multiple types and causes of errors reveal the need for comprehensive frameworks characterized by robust administrative, technical, and human-related solutions. A strong safety culture, accountability and responsibility, and interdisciplinary collaboration are necessary to enhance quality and safety of patient care.
The PubMed database is a dependable source that enhances access to current, peer-reviewed, and authoritative articles. Using keywords such as medication safety, medication administration, medication errors, and medication administration errors produced multiple article related to the topic. However, I narrowed down the search to articles published within the last two years and selected four for the annotated bibliography. On the credibility and relevance of the articles, one criterion was ensuring the four articles are peer-reviewed. The aim was to access authoritative sources with a clear purpose and published after extensive reviews by scholars. Another criterion was identifying articles published within the last three years. The reason was to use current findings to make informed conclusion on the extent of errors and implications on patients, healthcare professionals, and the organization.
Alghamdi, A., Keers, R., Sutherland, A., & Ashcroft, A. (2019). Prevalence and nature of medication errors and preventable adverse drug events in pediatric and neonatal intensive care settings: A systematic review. Drug Safety, 42, 1423-1436. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s40264-019-00856-9.pdf
The article described the extent and nature of medication errors. The authors’ focus on a pediatric setting and ICU makes it easier for the audience to understand the severity of errors and the need for sustainable measures to enhance quality and safety of patient care. The findings indicated that dosing, prescribing, and administration errors are the most common. The authors also identified intravenous fluids, respiratory agents, and the nervous system agents as the most reported drug classes associated with medication errors. I chose the article because it provides extensive insights into the different causes of errors, drug types, and implications of adverse events on patients, the organization, and the care team.
Çetin, S & Cebeci, F. (2021). Perceptions of clinical nurses about the causes of medication administration errors: A cross-sectional study. Florence Nightingale Journal of Nursing, 29(1), 56-64. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8137725/
Cetin and Cebeci’s focus on nurse perceptions enhance awareness about the various causes of medication errors and their impact on the organization. Nurses’ frontline roles at the bedside and organizational levels make them familiar with administrative, technical, and human-related gaps that undermine the quality and safety of patient care. In this case, ca
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