Test 2 Handling Medication Errors

Question 1

medication error

Answer 1

any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the health care provider, patient, or consumer

Question 2

Examples of Errors

Answer 2

• Misfill
• Order gets “lost”
• Controlled drug legitimacy
• Private facts disclosed publically
• Support personnel overstep boundaries
• Generic instead of DAW brand
• Promise not fulfilled
• Barcode scanning error
• Drug dispensed not reconstituted

Question 3

Minimize Potential for Errors

Answer 3

• Provider communication
• Patient communication
• Staff communication

Question 4

Provider communication

Answer 4

– Tall man lettering
– Repeat back all verbal orders
– Keep most up to date drug references
– If you aren’t sure, ASK!

Question 5

Patient communication

Answer 5

– Counsel
– Patient education materials
– Document
– Encourage patient to keep medication list up to date

Question 6

Staff communication

Answer 6

– Up to date training
– Create openness to talk about error
– Enlist support of non-pharmacy management for belligerent or obnoxious patients
– Adopt a policy for when there is a substantiated error
– Enforce documentation of errors

Question 7

Describe the process of addressing a patient’s concerns about quality

Answer 7

• contact patient
• apologize
• report error
• follow up

Question 8

List what to do and say in a discussion with a patient regarding concerns about quality

Answer 8

• “This rarely happens, but it happened to you and I want to do everything I can to resolve it.”
• Be in control of the situation
• Use good paralanguage / nonverbal.
• Restore confidence: resolve and explain the error, offer apology
• follow up as necessary

Question 9

Discuss the importance of expressing empathy and sympathy without admitting wrongdoing

Answer 9

when you express empathy, the patient feels that you have their best interest in mind