Chapter 5 Medication errors Flashcards
How many people are harmed by medical errors per year?
1.5 million
Medication errors are preventable.
true or false
true
What can the effects of medication errors range from?
from no significant effect to directly causing disability or death
Where do the majority of fatal medication errors occur ?
at home
Define Sentinel event
an unanticipated event in a health care setting, resulting in death or serious injury, not related to the natural course of the patients illness
What report tells us how many medical errors occur per year?
Institute of Medicine
Is the Institute of Medicine’s report on how many medical errors occur annually, accurate or are there more or less.
No. There are likely many more that go unreported because people don’t hide the incidents
What is an Adverse Drug Event?
Any kind of Medication error
Define Idiosyncratic reaction
drug reactions that occur rarely, that have no known cause and are unpredictable
Are allergic reactions that are adverse drug events often predictable or unpredictable?
often predictable
Can a preservative in a drug cause a reaction?
yes
it would be considered an idiosyncratic reaction, rare, random, unpredictable
Which is responsible for more Adverse Drug Events, the combination of allergic reactions, and idiosyncratic reactions, or Medication errors?
Medication Errors
Name the 6 steps in the medication process.
hint: PPTDAM
- Procuring
- Prescribing
- Transcribing
- Dispensing
- Administering
- Monitoring
Medication errors can occur at any of the steps of the medication process.
true or false?
true
Technology is helping up cut back on Medication errors. Why is this?
because Electronic Health records and electronic cues keeping everyone accountable and alerted us when there are any issues
When a medication is said to be “high alert”, what does that mean?
potential for harm is greater
What are SALAD medications?
Sound Alike Look Alike Drugs
What are LASA medication?
Look Alike Sound Alike
When giving/receiving a verbal order or telephone order, what three things must we do to try and prevent error?
- Repeat order to prescriber
- Spell drug name aloud
- Speak slowly and clearly
Make sure you list the indications on the order if it is being given verbally and you are responsible for the written part.
true or false
true
(it cannot just say they can have a certain medication PRN (as needed) without it indicating what for
for example of what it needs: Tylenol PRN for headache)
How can you prevent medication errors when it comes to the way you write out a prescription?
avoid medical shorthand
abbreviations, acronyms
What is the procuring step referring to?
ordering
What should you do if there is a doctor’s order for medication and it does not have the 6 rights covered on it or is illegible ? (missing information)
call the prescriber. Do Not Hesitate
Never use a “trailing zero” with medication orders.
True or False and what does that mean?
true
it means, do not use a decimal followed by a 0 or multiple zeros, simply use the number alone
(example: do not use 1.0 mg use 1 mg so there is no misunderstanding)
