Best Practices Addressing the Prevalence and Impact of Medication Errors

Best Practices Addressing the Prevalence and Impact of Medication Errors

Best Practices Addressing the Prevalence and Impact of Medication Errors

Analysis of Current Health Issues

Medication errors are among the most common in healthcare institutions worldwide. In the United States of America, medication errors are the eighth leading cause of preventable harm and fatalities, contributing to approximately 40% of all hospital admissions and 22% of readmissions after patient discharge worldwide (Tariq, 2023). Over the years, as the government and health institutions pay more attention to improving patient safety, medication errors have been a critical target for improving patient safety and patient outcomes. Medication errors refer to preventable incidents that could cause patient harm during the administration or prescription of medication that, if not prevented, can result in physical harm to the patient and severe financial losses.

Elements of the Problem

Medication errors are healthcare system failures occurring in one or all of the rights in the process of administration of medication; failure to give medication to the right patient, at the right time, with the correct dosage, giving the wrong medication and using the wrong method of administration (Mulac et al., 2021). Medication errors can involve all types of drugs occuring due to factors such as failing to consider a patient’s medical condition or drug interactions. Integrating modern technology into the medical industry has significantly changed how patients receive care and how medical personnel, from nurses to doctors and surgeons, operate within health institutions (Alrabadi et al., 2021). Today’s prescribers must keep track of all prescriptions and use patient information within the patient database when prescribing medication. Therefore, if physicians ignore the inputted information and the details regarding the medical issue facing the patient and take into account the resources available to them, there is an increased risk factor of medication errors.

System-related causes of medication errors can include inadequate and convoluted processes, system misconfiguration, and inadequate training of nurses, physicians, pharmacists, and distractors (Rasool et al., 2020). While human error accounts for many medication errors, system errors also contribute to the issue and are often more challenging to keep track of and prevent. A poor working environment can distract physicians and nurses, increasing the risk of making prescription and administration mistakes. Medication errors also occur when there is poor communication within the health institution and poorly trained employees who do not have the skills to identify critical issues during the prescribing and administration process. These errors occur frequently within a health institution or anywhere where people are taking drugs and, if not prevented, can result in significant injuries, fatalities, and high costs for the patients and the institution.

Analysis

Overall, proper administration and prescription of medication is a delicate process that depends on the correct dosage, correct route of administration, best duration, selection and concentration for the particular patient, adverse effects and drug interactions, and any discontinuations and modifications made on a particular medication. Medication errors can be significantly reduced at the institutional level by reducing human errors, increasing the possibility of achieving positive patient outcomes, and improving patient safety (Al Meslamani, 2023). However, it is also imperative to focus on external factors that contribute to prescribers and administrators making medication errors, seeing as they are often out of the control of the individual physician or nurse. For instance, during the COVID-19 pandemic, health institutions worldwide were understaffed, facing shortages in medication, with stringent working conditions, and the staff was overworked, facing the risk of infection and death (Al Meslamani, 2023). When medical personnel is distracted, they increase the risk of making mistakes during the prescription and administration stages of care which threatens patient safety. In addition to skill and knowledge, hospitals and pharmacies need streamlining where there is efficient and effective sharing of vital patient information and communication between different specialists which is vital to the choice of intervention for a particular patient.

Populations Affected by Medication Errors

The healthcare industry relies on medication to prevent and treat illnesses. This means that as long as people are using medication in any environment, mistakes can happen which result in errors. Medication errors can occur across the entire population of all who use any medication, from when the drug is prescribed, when entering the medication inf