Medication Errors Flashcards
Medication errors lead to:
1) Decreased patient satisfaction
2) Lack of trust in the healthcare system
Definition of Medication Error?
Any preventable event that may cause inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the healthcare professional or the patient.
Medications errors constitute ___ of medical errors.
Two thirds
Medical errors are the __-leading cause of death in the USA.
Third
Medication errors are under-reported to authorities because of:
Fear of accusation
Medication errors most commonly occur at which point?
Ordering/prescribing
Administration errors include:
1) Incorrect route of administration
2) Giving the drug to the wrong patient
3) Extra dose
4) Wrong rate
5) Omission
Medication errors usually occur at one of these points:
1) Ordering/prescribing
2) Administration errors
3) Monitoring errors
4) Documenting errors
5) Dispensing errors
6) Compliance errors
7) Unauthorized drug use
The most common system failures include:
1) Inaccurate order transcription
2) Failing drug knowledge dissemination
3) Failing to obtain allergy history
4) Incomplete order checking
5) Mistakes in the tracking of the medication orders
6) Poor professional communication!
7) Unavailability or inaccurate patient information
Judgmental pharmacist errors include:
1) Failure to detect drug interactions
2) Inadequate drug utilization review
3) Inappropriate screening
4) Failure to counsel the patient appropriately
5) Inappropriate monitoring
What can cause ~ 75% of medication errors?
Distractions
Only prescribe Warfarin for ___ at a time and reassess the patient on each visit.
4 weeks
When dealing with elderly patients, healthcare providers should avoid ordering drugs listed on the:
Beers criteria
Should a near miss be reported?
YES
Medication errors related to employees may be due to the following:
1) Negligence
2) Forgetfulness
3) Hurrying
4) Poor motivation
5) Vengeance/Revenge
6) Carelessness
