Medication errors are a serious patient safety concern in healthcare in general and nursing. Medication errors cause adverse events and increased cost of care. These errors occur at any phase of the medication process and can lead to harmful effects. My interest in this topic stems from wanting to enhance patient safety and outcomes. I believe all medication errors are 100% preventable therefore the overall goal would be to prevent errors from occurring in the first place. As a nurse, experiencing these errors can have devastating effects on one’s psychology and overall patient outcomes. Nurses must attain evidence-based practice interventions to reduce or tackle these aspects of care provision. Proper education and training on the medication process, effective communication among nurses, especially during the handover of shifts, and collaboration are evidence-based approaches to reducing and preventing the occurrence of medication errors in any setting.
I narrowed my search to peer-reviewed journal articles using a search engine in the Capella University Library database to find articles on this topic. I also used databases such PubMed, Google Scholar, and Medline to find supported documentation. Using a combination of keywords and specific terms related to medication errors assisted me in gathering the supporting information I needed. I used keywords and terms to get sources that are current and peer-reviewed. Current sources are those published within the last five years and focus on the selected topic or healthcare issues. Keywords included medication errors, patient safety, and prescribing routine as well as adverse events associated with medication administration.
To establish the credibility of the sources, it is essential to use the CRAAP model which implies having current, relevant, authoritative, accurate, and purposeful articles. As such, the selected articles were within five years and focused on different aspects of medication errors. The articles were also relevant to the selected topic and accurate in their analysis. More fundamentally, the articles demonstrated a clear purpose and facts based on the research process and components.
Al Meslamani, A. Z. (2023). Medication errors during a pandemic: What have we learned?
Expert Opinion on Drug Safety, 0(0), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1080/14740338.2023.2181954
In this study, the researcher focuses on medication errors during the COVID-19 pandemic and the lessons that healthcare workers/ providers can get. The article highlights the challenges that healthcare providers encountered in their efforts to manage medication errors and the factors contributing to the scenario. The author presents evidence-based strategies implemented to prevent the occurrence and prevalence of these errors. In its conclusion, the article is emphatic that the pandemic provided healthcare workers a chance to reflect on practice and implement interventions to enhance patient safety. The article is important to nursing practice and medication safety because it gives detailed information for healthcare workers to revamp the medication administration process. The article emphasizes the need for nurses to use evidence-based practice interventions to reduce medication errors in their practice settings.
Salar, A., Kiani, F., & Rezaee, N. (2020). Preventing the medication errors in Hospitals: A
qualitative study. International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences, 13, 100235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijans.2020.100235
In this article, the researcher categorical that medication errors are a safety risk aspect that leads to unpleasant patient outcomes. Therefore, the study focuses on the identification of medication prevention approaches in hospital wards in Iran. Using a qualitative content analysis approach, the researchers found that to prevent medication errors, providers must act professionally and implement technical strategies. The study concludes that acting professionally and having effective system controls are essential to preventing and detecting medication errors. The article is significant to nursing practice as it illustrates the critical role nurses play in preventing and reducing their occurrence. The authors are categorical in their conclusion that medication errors impact the quality of care and should be prevented through a collaborative approach.
Alrabadi, N., Shawagfeh, S., Haddad, R., Mukattash, T., Abuhammad, S., Al-rabadi, D., …
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