Chapter 6. Non-Parenteral Medication Administration Show
In the Institute of Medicine’s often-cited book To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System (Kohn, Corrigan, & Donaldson, 2000), it is estimated that approximately 1.5-million preventable adverse drug events (ADEs) occur annually. The Joint Commission (TJC) defines medication errors as any preventable event that may cause inappropriate medication use or jeopardize patient safety (TJC, 2012). Medication errors are the number-one error in health care (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 2013). Safe and accurate medication administration is an important and potentially challenging nursing responsibility. Medication administration requires good decision-making skills and clinical judgment, and the nurse is responsible for ensuring full understanding of medication administration and its implications for patient safety. Medication errors have a substantial impact on health care in Canada (Butt, 2010). When preparing and administering medication, and assessing patients after receiving medication, always follow agency policy to ensure safe practice. Review Table 6.1 for guidelines for safe medication administration. Table 6.1 Guidelines for Safe Medication Administration
Technological Advances That Help Mitigate Medication ErrorsComputerized physician order entry (CPOE) is a system that allows prescribers to electronically enter orders for medications, thus eliminating the need for written orders. CPOE increases the accuracy and legibility of medication orders; the potential for the integration of clinical decision support; and the optimization of prescriber, nurse, and pharmacist time (Agrawal, 2009). Decision support software integrated into a CPOE system can allow for the automatic checking of drug allergies, dosage indications, baseline laboratory results, and potential drug interactions. When a prescriber enters an order through CPOE, the information about the order will then transmit to the pharmacy and ultimately to the MAR. The use of electronic bar codes on medication labels and packaging has the potential to improve patient safety in a number of ways. A patient’s MAR is entered into the hospital’s information system and encoded into the patient’s wristband, which is accessible to the nurse through a handheld device. When administering a medication, the nurse scans the patient’s medical record number on the wristband, and the bar code on the drug. The computer processes the scanned information, charts it, and updates the patient’s MAR record appropriately (Poon et al., 2010). Automated medication dispensing systems (AMDS) provide electronic automated control of all medications, including narcotics. Each nurse accessing the system has a unique access code. The nurse will enter the patient’s name, the medication, the dosage, and the route of administration. The system will then open either the patient’s individual drawer or the narcotic drawer to dispense the specific medication. If the patient’s electronic health record is linked to the AMDS, the medication and the nurse who accessed the system will be linked to the patient’s electronic record. Read the Top Ten Tips PDF to review the importance of medication reconciliation. Checklist 43 outlines the steps for safe medication administration.
When a medication is administered in a physician's office the best method of identifying the patient is to?To prevent instances of misidentification and near-misses, The Joint Commission requires that two identifiers—such as a patient's full name, date of birth and/or medical identification (ID) number—be used for every patient encounter.
How might you help determine which medications the patient is using and how might you identify them to arrive at an accurate medication list?Asking patients to describe their medication by color, size, shape, etc., may help to determine the dosage strength and formulation. Calling the patient's caregiver or their community pharmacist may be helpful to determine an exact medication, dosage strength, and/or directions for use.
Which of the following guidelines should be followed when administering a medication?One of the recommendations to reduce medication errors and harm is to use the “five rights”: the right patient, the right drug, the right dose, the right route, and the right time.
Which of the following must be included in a patient's medication list?The list should include the name of the medication, the dose, and the number of times a day you have to take it. Include information about how to take the medication (with or without food, as a pill, as a shot). Include information about any allergies. Share the list with close friends, family, and caregivers.
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