Institute:Office of National Coordinator (ONC) Workforce Training Curriculum
Component:The Culture of Health Care
Unit:Nursing Care Processes
Lecture:Nursing routines and procedures including performing invasive procedures, administering medication, documenting procedures, and using technology
Slide content:Common Medication Errors Common ordering and prescribing errors: Prescriber is overworked or distracted Prescriber is unaware of patients allergies and potential drug interactions Prescription is incomplete or illegible IV administration is especially error-prone Common administration errors: Nurse is tired, distracted, or interrupted Equipment failure 14
Slide notes:Researchers have found that many errors begin early in the medication administration process, when the drug is ordered. The health care provider who prescribes the medication might be overworked and distracted. Or, the provider might be unaware of a patients allergies to a medication or of interactions between medications. The prescription might be incomplete or illegible. Medications with similar names are often mixed up, as well. A number of errors can occur during medication administration itself. The administration of IV medication is especially error-prone. For example, sometimes nurses need to mix an IV drug with a diluting agent before they start it, and this can lead to contamination or errors in measurement. Other medication administration problems involve equipment failure, such as a defective infusion pump. Nurses can also be tired, distracted, or interrupted while giving medication, which increases the risk of errors. 14