This strategy involves pharmacists comprehensively reviewing patients’ medication charts and identifying the discrepancies. Such assessments are essential to identify identical medication orders, contraindications in patients’ cases, and different drug interactions (Studer et al., 2023). Medication reconciliation aims to administer appropriate drugs, modify regimens according to the needs, and educate patients to make informed decisions.
The possible consequences of ignoring medication errors are increased morbidities and mortality rates. As discussed earlier, medication errors can lead to adverse drug events and harmful reactions in patients (Alrabadi et al., 2021). These outcomes can result in serious health complications, disability, or even death. Additionally, as demonstrated in the specific case scenario, it can lengthen the hospital stay, ultimately raising healthcare costs (Rodziewicz et al., 2023). Finally, the organization and the providers may face different legal ramifications due to their negligent actions, which could harm their reputation and put additional strain on resources.
Solution and Implementation
The most effective solution, specifically in the case scenario, will be implementing a barcode medication administration (BCMA) system. Implementing this solution involves a holistic approach using both human and technological resources. A systematic literature review concluded that the bar-coding medication administration system minimizes medication errors, especially errors related to the five rights of medication administration (Hutton et al., 2021). The implementation plan for the specific case scenario includes a thorough assessment required to identify the areas of conflict. Then, an interprofessional team must gather to develop a comprehensive implementation plan that outlines timelines, resource allocation, communication strategies, and the list of requirements.
An effective technology is selected, aligning with the organizational needs and current technological infrastructure. The next step is to train healthcare professionals, especially nurses, about effective system utilization. Lastly, implement BCMA in a pilot area to test functionality and identify problems to refine the processes and optimize the system’s effectiveness. Along with all this, monitoring the implementation through evaluation protocols to track BCMA system performance is also imperative. This ongoing monitoring enables the organization to maintain effectiveness and improve patient outcomes (Thompson et al., 2018).
Ethical Implications
Considering the ethical considerations, implementing BCMA upholds several ethical principles. The ethical principles of beneficence and non-maleficence align with providing safe and danger-free care (Cheraghi et al., 2023). Introducing BCMA to improve patient safety by reducing medication errors is connected with these ethical principles. Achieving these outcomes requires adequate staff training, and supervision should be ensured for proper use and preventing impending errors. Similarly, to uphold the principle of autonomy, patients should be informed and educated about BCMA technology and its purpose so that they can make informed decisions for their healthcare. Lastly, the BCMA implementation is planned to be equitable, ensuring all patients receive medications through this process, regardless of their socioeconomic status and background.
Conclusion
In conclusion, medication errors are a significant healthcare problem, requiring immediate and effective solutions. The main risk factors of these errors include individualized factors like workload and inadequate competencies and systemic issues such as technological deprivation and environmental disruptions. Other factors include lack of communication, inadequate standardized guidelines, lack of attention, and obscured prescriptions. Implementing a barcoding system and pharmacist-led medication reconciliation are the best possible solutions for these errors. The chosen solution for a particular case scenario is BCMA implementation, which requires a comprehensive implementation plan while considering ethical principles. The purpose is to enable safe practices to maintain patient safety and improve organizational performance.
References
Alahmadi, Y. M., Alharbi, M. A., Almusallam, A. J., Alahmadi, R. Y., & Alolayan, S. O. (2022). Incidence of medication errors in King Fahad Hospital Madina, Saudi Arabia. Brazilian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 58, e201196. https://doi.org/10.1590/s2175-97902022e201196
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