The Dangers of Improper Technique and Errors in Giving Medications - Essay Example

MEDICAL ERRORS Prepared for Lenore Brown Prepared By Jennifer Navas October 2, MEDICAL ERRORS Medical errors attributed to improper medication technique and errors in giving medication pose a significant danger to the patient’s health. The errors are avoidable if the medical practitioners concentrate on the patients. The dangers may range depending on the error. Patients may experience pain or die from the medical errors. Medical errors affect the running of the medical institution. Patient may leave the facility or the institution may be sued, and practitioners face loss of licenses and jail time (Garber 346).

The right technique should be used to administer the drug to the patient. There are various techniques used to administer medication. Medication may be taken orally, through the skin, through the eyes and ears, through the blood inhalation. The technique used to assimilate the drug into the system should be understood to avoid complications.The danger of wrong techniques is that the patient may suffer allergies that may cause shock. The mode of administration should be followed to ensure that the drug is effective.

Some drugs need to be administered through injections to ensure rapid action, while others need to be assimilates slowly into the system. Medication prescribed may require the user to have meals or omit meals to ensure that the drug take effect (Garber 89).Medical history needs to be noted from the patient files. Medical history enables the medical team to formulate the right treatment for the patient. Medical history provides information on allergies and family history. Information regarding past treatment and medication used allows doctors to use a different approach (Garber 401).

Hygiene is paramount in a medical institution. Cleanliness should be observed in giving medication to the patients. It is essential that medical practitioner cleans his hands before and after administering medication. This is done to avoid the danger of contaminating the patient’s medication, cleanliness after medication ensures that the medication residue on the practitioner’s hands is not used by the other patients. Sharing of medication may cause problems to the patient and the medical institution.

The urgency of the medication determines the techniques used to administer the medication to the patients. For patients that need the drug urgently, injections are the way used to administer them. The patient is endangered if the wrong mode of administration is used. The delivery time may be the difference in the patients fight for his life (Garber 193).There are five stages in medication. The drug prescribes by a doctor. A medical practitioner verifies the drug then dispenses them. The drug is administered, and the patient is monitored for changes.

All this processes need to be documented, and the monitored to avoid errors. Errors may include issuing of wrong drugs or wrong dosage. Some drugs have to be prepared before administration. Following these processes, and reading the documentation will reduce the errors.Medical errors can be prevented by evaluation of the medical files and paying attention to the patient. Medical errors should be prevented to ensure that the patient is safe. The reputation of the medical institution is affected by the occurrence of errors in the institution.

An institution with a high error rate does not attract patient. The medical license of the medical practitioners at the institution is at risk if cases of errors reported. The medical institution may avoid law suits if medical errors can be avoided (Garber 312).Work CitedGarber, Jeannie S, Monty Gross, & Anthony D. Slonim. Avoiding Common Nursing Errors. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2010. Print.