MEDICATION SAFETY Flashcards
What is a medication error?
Event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use of pt harm
What is an adverse drug event?
Harm resulting from medication or lack of medication (error may or may not have occurred)
- ex. Pt w/ depression overdoses on antidepressants
What is an adverse drug REACTION?
A type of adverse drug event that occurs at normal doses that results in an undesired, unintended, or unexpected reaction to a medication
EX. pt experiences hepatoxicity (liver damage) after taking methotrexate for rheumatoid arthritis
What is a near miss?
Event that could have resulted in harm but did not reach the pt as a result of chance or timely intervention
What are the medication use process?
Prescribing, transcribing, dispensing, administering, monitoring
What medication error can occur with prescribing?
- inadequate knowledge of drug interaction
- pt factors such as allergies, pregnancy, renal impairment not taken into account
- inappropriate drug, dose, route or administration time
What medication error can occur with transcribing?
Prescribed meds transcribed incorrectly or not transcribed at all
What medication errors can occur with dispensing?
- Incorrect medication, dose, route or quantity dispensed
- Dispensed meds labeled inappropriately
Administration errors:
- incorrect pt, medication dose, route or time
- administration omission
Monitoring errors:
- inadequate monitoring for effectiveness or side effects
- drug levels not ordered or followed up
What factors can contribute to medication errors?
- inadequate lighting
- messy work area
- distractions
- stress
- fatigue
What are high alert medications?
Medication which may result in an increased risk of pt harm if used inappropriately
EX. Insulin, opioids/narcotics, anticoagulants, chemotherapy, potassium chloride
What is CPOE?
Prescribers input orders directly into electronic medical system
- addresses illegible orders
- avoids transcription errors
- alerts prescriber to allergies, inappropriate doses/frequency/route/drug interactions
What is BCMA?
Nurse scans patients wristband, followed by medication to be administered
- confirms rights of meds
- can be linked with clinical decision support to alert nurse to important info such as allergies, vital signs, lab values
What are guardrails?
Limits specific to each medication programmed into IV medication pumps to ensure meds are administered safely
