Question

Provide your answers to the following questions in a 2-page paper. Use APA Editorial Format for all citations and references used.

What should the "culture and environment of safety" look like when preparing and administering medications?

Discuss a common breach of mediation administration.

Identify three (3) factors that lead to errors in documentation related to medication administration.

What can I do to prevent medication errors?

Answer 1

Answer#1.
#Many nurses in a culture of safety, institutions view errors as a systems issue and encourage nurses to report and discuss errors to improve patient care.”

By creating this culture of safety and accepting error reporting without blame, the number of patient safety incident reports has increased greatly—and so has the number of discussions and systems improvements that prevent future errors.

The “culture and environment of safety” is extremely important whenpreparing and administering medications. When preparing themedication, you want to do so in a quiet area, limiting any distractions, and interruptions. The area should also be well lit.

Distraction : A nurse who is distracted may read "diazepam" as "diltiazem." The outcome is not insignificant-if diazepam is accidentally administered, it could sedate the patient, or worse (e.g., if the patient has an allergy to the drug).

Environment : A nurse who is chronically overworked can make medication errors out of exhaustion. Additionally, lack of proper lighting, heat/cold, and other environmental factors can cause distractions that lead to errors.

Answer2 #The most common types of reported errors were wrong dose, omission, and wrong time.

#Most Common Error.
[1.]
The most common types of reported medication errors were inappropriate dosage and infusion rate
[2].
The most common causes of medication errors were using abbreviations (instead of full names of drugs) in prescriptions and similarities in drug names.
[3].
The most important cause of medication errors was lack of adequate pharmacological information

Answer#3
Factor Responsible for error-
Factors like looking-like drugs , distraction ,
The unavailability of a system ,
Fear.

#Answer- 4.
prevent medication errors

Changes that Prevent Errors

Viewing errors as systems or process issues—rather than individual failures—has led to a review of the entire drug administration process. The resulting systems’ changes help prevent medication errors and include:

Computerized order entry

Computerized medication dispensing systems

Barcode identification

Designated drug administration preparation areas

Minimizing what medications can be mixed outside of the pharmacy

Quiet zones

A list of Do Not Use Abbreviation.

Tall man mixed case lattering to spell out look-alike drug names, such as acetoHEXAMIDE and acetaZOLAMIDE

Ongoing staff discussions to explore potential errors and improve safety.

1. Ensure the five rights of medication administration.

Nurses must ensure the correct medication is prescribed for the correct patient, in the correct dosage, via the correct route, and timed correctly (also known as the five rights).

2. Follow proper medication reconciliation procedures.

Review and verify each medication for the correct patient, correct medication, correct dosage, correct route, and correct time against the transfer orders, or medications listed on the transfer documents.
3. Double check—or even triple check—procedures.

Some institutions have a chart flag process in place to highlight charts with new orders that require order verification.

4. Have the physician (or another nurse) read it back.

This process can also be carried out from one nurse to the next whereby a nurse reads back an order transcribed to the physician’s order form to another nurse as the MAR is reviewed to ensure accuracy.

5. Consider using a name alert.

Names such as Johnson and Johnston can lead to easy confusion on the part of nursing staff, so it is for this reason that name alerts posted in front of the MAR can prevent medication errors.

6. Place a zero in front of the decimal point.

A dosage of 0.25mg can easily be construed as 25mg without the zero in front of the decimal point, and this can result in an adverse outcome for a patient.

7. Document everything.

A lack of proper documentation for any medication can result in an error.

8. Ensure proper storage of medications for proper efficacy.

Most biologicals require refrigeration, and if a multidose vial is used, it must be labeled to ensure it is not used beyond its expiration date from the date it was opened.

9. Learn your institution’s medication administration policies, regulations, and guidelines.

These policies often contain vital information regarding the institution’s practices on medication ordering, transcription, administration, and documentation.

10. Consider having a drug guide available at all times.

.Nurses must never cease to remember that a medication error can lead to a fatal outcome and it is for this reason that medical safety Matters.