The Barcoded Medication Administration - Research Paper Example

? OF THE PAPER s Introduction Medication is perhaps the most important support of the healthcare industry however even aminor error in medication administration or similar drug related errors will lead to problematic consequences such as greater expenses, increased hospitalization for patient, enhanced discomfort and even increase in mortality rate. Most of the medication occurs because of mistakes at the personal or system level. Despite introduction of technologies for greater efficiency of drug delivery and administration there is possibility of minor errors therefore nurse practitioners need to be trained to handle tasks with and without technological advancements. According to a one year long study conducted at Albany Medical center, the number was medication errors was 3.99 per 1000 medications (Cardinale, 1997, 1).Most medication errors are said to occur owing to problems of both individuals as well the system (Montesi & Lechi, 2009, p652) and in either case these errors hamper the patients adversely. At the individual level health caregivers are prone to misread drugs labels, medicate the wrong patient, and administer wrong dosage or all of these. For example, bottles of cyclopentolate (1%) and tropicamide (1%) are often mistaken for each other. Both the medicines have a red cap which indicated their common drug class (cyclopegics) but makes them appear exactly identical except for their printed labels. Hospital employees often do not understand the color coding of caps and ignore label reading leading to medication error (Cohen, 2013, p72). Physicians too maybe responsible for some of these problems. Many a time’s handwritten prescriptions bearing illegible drug dosage or names are misread by the pharmacists because of whom a potential medication error occurs. The pen and paper system maybe often interpreted wrongly leading to negative impacts on the patient and improper medical care. Dosage miscalculation is another fatal mistake. Dosage conversion from milligrams to milliliters etc are often calculated wrongly and the patient receives improper dose of medicine. Patients often take wrong medicines by themselves. This is a result of dearth of patient counseling and patient education in terms of self-medication. Medication errors are sometimes a product of system errors. The drug dispensing process right from medicine prescription to drug delivery is often not clearly defines and are not continuous. It is often seen that nurses, pharmacist and other employees engage in non-important talks preventing them from focusing on the job at hand. Hospital environmental too play a minor role in medication errors, for example noise level, distractions, poor lighting etc are often the reasons due to which caregivers make mistakes. The most important factor for system based medication error is lack of knowledge and appropriate exposure. Today, medication administration safety is the top priority of any medical institution. Thus several strategies have been employed to minimize the possibility of medication errors worldwide. Several studies have proved that usage of technological advancements can helps reduce medication errors (Kaushal et al,2001) One of the most widely used technologies today is the Bar coded medication administration. A bar code is attached to each patient’s wrist and the nurse responsible for drug administration scans the wrist of the patient before drug administration to ensure the right medicine, dosage and patient. The system has the potential to point out errors in medication, medication administration route, dosage measurement or patient identity (Koppel et al 2008, p 420) The use of Bar code technology helps nurse practitioners avoid common mistakes and efficiently administer the drug. Personal Digital assistant technology is yet another advancement that can help nurses prevent medication administration errors. The device displays the patient details digitally at one time and increases efficiency of service. CPOE or Computer Physicians Order entry is the solution to hand written and often wrongly interpreted prescriptions (McIntyre, 2007, p43). This system makes sure that each prescription is read, interpreted accurately, dosage measurement and route is determined and allergies of the patient in concern is also described ((Koppel et al, 2005, p 1197). Automated Dispensing Machine technology has significantly helped in reducing medication errors in systems. The machine allows normal medication retrieval as well as retrieval of medications during emergencies using the override function (Miller et al, p1) Globally, the most efficient method to tackle medication administration problems is basic education in nursing program clubbed with practice based exposure, critical thinking and decision making training. Miscalculations of drug doses play a pivotal role in faulty drug administration problems. The mathematical and calculation ability of each nursing student must be honed since untrained nurses make common mistakes in calculation involving percentage, decimals and fractions. In this regard research has shown that use of dimensional analysis has recued nurse’s calculation errors (Greenfield et al, 2006, p91). Nursing practice forms the support system of the healthcare system. Firstly, a professional nurse must be trained to provide medical care of the highest grade. Nurses are the drivers of change since it them who can upgrade the care giving quality. A nurse’s identity should be focused as a care-giver. Caring forms the foundation for nursing profession and a detailed understanding of the patient’s medical and psychological needs helps professional nurses enhance their service as a care giver. Nurse-patient relation must be more than just professional since a deep trusting bond develops where the patient relies on the nurse for his/her recovery. The key to caring for nurse practitioners is spirituality (Thomas, 2004, p1). A nurse must be sensitive towards patient because in most cases patients are emotionally fragile pre and post recovery. A professional nurse is obliged to consider the emotions and psychological frailness of each patient and also know how to handle the same without damage. Next, a professional nurse needs to be alert at all times especially while administering drugs since the accurate administration depends entirely on the practitioner alone. Thus focus must be on understanding each case and handling each patient differently, understanding the recovery procedure and providing the right care to each patient individual. This may be enhanced by more exposure, practice, knowledge and experience. Sound clinical decision making ability is a basic requirement that adds to the successful practice of the nurse practitioner. Another important implication is the ability to communicate professionally with doctors, patients and fellow nurses. Communication is an important factor that helps enhance any service. Nurse-patient communication helps the nurse understand the patient and his/her needs. Doctor-nurse communication is immensely important to ensure professional need for medical treatment is met. Nurses have the ability to understand treatment procedures and communicate the same to the patients. Next, it is implied that nurses can design their work schedules effectively since overload of work can hamper the nurse’s ability to deliver service. Work planning is a much needed practice for professional nurses. Further it is also expected that the professional nurses keep up-to-date with the modern technologies under use at their respective departments to endure mitigation of errors and common mistakes. The medical industry and the entire system is heavily dependent on the quality of nurses available. A professional nurse must meet the expectations of all both educations wise and care-wise. They form the link between the medical system and the patient and hence it is up to them to polish and prepare themselves for a challenging task of handling cases and providing the best nursing service possible to satiate the medical and emotional needs of every patient. REFERENCES Cardinale,V. (1997).Minding Medication Mistakes.Drug Topics.141(4),p1. Cohen, M. R. (2013). Medication Errors. Nursing2013 l, 72. Greenfield, S., Whelan, B., & COHN, E. (2006, February). Use of Dimensional Analysis to Reduce Medication Errors. Journal of Nursing Education, 45(2), 91-93. Kaushal, R., Barker, K. N., & Bates, D. W. (2001). How can information technology improve patient safety and reduce medication errors in children's health care? Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, 155(9), 1002-7. McIntyre, L. M. (2007). Safe Medication Administration. JNurs Care Quat, 2(1), 40-42. Miller et al (n.d.). quality-patient-safety. Retrieved October 26, 2013, from http://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/quality-patient-safety/patient-safety-resources/resources/advances-in-patient-safety-2/vol4/Advances-Miller_93.pdf Montesi, G., & Lechi, A. (2009). Prevention of medication errors: detection and audit. Br J Clin Pharmacol, 67(6), 651-655. R. Koppel et al (2005). Role of Computerized Physician Order Entry Systems in Facilitating Medication Errors. JAMA, 293(10), 1197-1203. R. koppel et al (2008). Workarounds to Barcode Medication Administration Systems: Their Occurrences, Causes, and Threats to Patient Safety. J Am Med Inform Assoc, 15, 408-423. Thomas, J. D. (2004). The Caring Relationships Created by Nurse Practitioners and the Ones Nursed: Implications for Practice. Topics in Advanced Practice Nursing eJournal, 4(4). Retrieved from http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/496420 Read More