Medication Errors

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Reducing medication errors by encouraging error reporting

Medication errors are a common health issue both within the inpatient and outpatient

healthcare setting. Medication errors encompass any error which include omission, commission

or inappropriate administration of drugs or use of equipment when providing services to the

patient. Medication errors impose a significant burden on patients, their families and healthcare

organization and are responsible for adverse events such as prolonged hospitalization, severe

injury, adverse reactions or even death. In the article Medical Error Reduction and Prevention,

Rodziewicz, Houseman and Hipskind state that the annual cost of medication errors is between

$4-$20 billion annually, with the figures varying from one study to another. Research by the

Joint Commission also show that, medical or diagnostic errors account for between 40,000-

80,000 annual deaths of injuries (Rodziewicz, Houseman & Hipskind). Medication errors have

also been found to cause emotional and psychological injuries both to healthcare professionals

and patients and this has been associated with a further decline in the quality of care

(Rodziewicz, Houseman & Hipskind). Thus, addressing medication errors is important, not just

as a cost containment strategy, but as a way of improving quality of life for both patients and

healthcare professionals.

Over the years, various interventions have been devised to reduce medication errors and

improve the quality of care for patients in hospital and primary care settings. One intervention

that has consistently been cited in research is by creating a safety culture that encourages open

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communication, and prompt and accurate reporting of medication errors within the healthcare

setting. Already, this intervention has shown some positive results, with most studies showing a

negative association between medication reporting and adverse events such as death or injuries.

For instance, in a recent study, Elden and Ismail found that, medication reporting is effective in

improving the quality of care by facilitating quick identification and resolution of medication

errors (248). While this intervention has shown promising progress over the years, it has failed to

achieve considerable results due to the numerous barriers that discourage nurses and other

healthcare professionals from reporting medical errors. In this paper, I will focus on some

barriers that discourage medication errors reporting including, lack of accountability culture, fear

of being blamed and termed as incompetent and lack of an effective medical reporting. In the

next step, I will propose some solution to these challenges which include encouraging a culture

of open communication, offering incentives to nurses and developing an effective reporting

system.

To initiate, there exit numerous barriers that prevent healthcare professionals from

reporting cases of medication errors. Fear of blame, punishment or lack of peer support are often

cited as some of the primary reason why nurses prefer not to report medication errors despite

their potential negative impact on patients. Medication error reporting has also been found to be

low in healthcare facilities with no reporting system in place. Another issues that have

consistently impeded reporting of medication errors are reporter burden, informational gap and

professional identity among others. Fig 1 below show a summary of the factors that prevent

nurses from reporting medication errors.

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Surname 1 Student’s Name Professor Course Date Reducing medication errors by encouraging error reporting Medication errors are a common health issue both within the inpatient and outpatient healthcare setting. Medication errors encompass any error which include omission, commission or inappropriate administration of drugs or use of equipment when providing services to the patient. Medication errors impose a significant burden on patients, their families and healthcare organization and are responsible for adverse events such as prolonged hospitalization, severe injury, adverse reactions or even death. In the article Medical Error Reduction and Prevention, Rodziewicz, Houseman and Hipskind state that the annual cost of medication errors is between $4-$20 billion annually, with the figures varying from one study to another. Research by the Joint Commission also show that, medical or diagnostic errors account for between 40,00080,000 annual deaths of injuries (Rodziewicz, Houseman & Hipskind). Medication errors have also been found to cause emotional and psychological injuries both to healthcare professionals and patients and this has been associated with a further decline in the quality of care (Rodziewicz, Houseman & Hipskind). Thus, addressing medication errors is important, not just as a cost containment strategy, but as a way of improving quality of life for both patients and healthcare professionals. Over the years, various interventions have been devised to reduce medica ...
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Tags: medication errors healthcare setting Diagnostic errors