The patient identification section, allergies and adverse reactions, and the regular medicine
order section are three safety features embedded in the national standard medication chart
(NPS MedicineWise, 2019; ACQHC, 2019b).
The purpose of the patient identification section in the medication chart is to establish the
patient's identity before prescribing commences (Australian Commission on Safety and
Quality in Health Care [ACSQHC], 2019b). The patient identification section is the first
safety feature to avoid medication errors while administering the medication. According to
National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards Standard 5: Patient Identification
and Procedure Matching, three approved patient identifiers (URN, patient's name and
DOB) must be used to establish the patient's identity. However, the patient identification
section must be present on all medication chart pages and completed by the prescriber. If
the medication chart is without the patient identification section, the order remains invalid
and should not be administered to the patient. The patient identification section must be
checked by the first prescriber and print the patient's name on both the medication chart's
front and back. If the first prescriber does not check it, the chart's orders are not valid
(NPSMedicineWise, 2019).
The purpose of the allergies and adverse drug reactions (ADR) alert section in National
Inpatient Medication Chart (NIMC) is to give information about any previous allergies,
adverse drug events and related information of reaction or type. This section includes the
medicine or substance which causes adverse reactions, reaction details (e.g. rash, swelling)
and type (e.g. allergy, anaphylaxis) and date that it occurred or approximate time frame
(e.g. 16 years ago) (ACSQHC, 2019b). It also gives information that the patient
experiences no adverse reactions or allergies. If the prescriber fails to communicate the
known allergies or ADRs, it can result in re-prescribing of offending drugs and preventable
patient harm. Attending health professionals are responsible for obtaining and recording
the information. After the information has been verified and documented in the NIMC, the
health professional documenting the information must sign, print their name and date the
chart's entry. When administering the PRN medication on the back of the medication chart,
ADR alerts must check on the first page (NPS MedicineWise, 2019).
The regular medicine order section aims to document regular medicine orders in which
date on which the medicine order is being charted, generic name of medicine, tick slow
release box, route, dose, indication, frequency and enter administration times, prescriber
signature, prescriber name printed, prescriber contact details are documented (ACSQHC,
2019b). According to National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards (ACSQHC,
2019a), Standard 4: Medication safety aims to ensure that healthcare professionals safely
prescribe, dispense, administer and monitor the medicines. This section aims at
standardising the prescription and administration of medicine. The presentation of
information in the section minimises the risks of error through slips and lapses which is the
greatet cause of drug error in healthcare facilities in Australia (ACSQHC, 2019a
Order this paper