Medication administration training is essential to reducing medication errors in health care. In 2007, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released the Preventing Medication Errors report. It emphasised the importance of developing and implementing systems to help clinicians monitor for and effectively respond to errors. The report noted the need for improved communication with patients and standardised drug-related information.
Medication administration can be complex, and patients may overdose, take the wrong dose, or receive the wrong medicine. While untrained individuals can give some medications, nurses are often responsible for administering medications.
Nurses can perform two basic tasks during medication administration: calculating the correct dosage and verifying the patient’s responses to the medication. Both of these tasks are difficult to do in a busy ward. However, standardised administration practices can improve patient safety, such as dual nurse verification at the bedside. For more information on a Medication administration course, go to www.tidaltraining.co.uk/health-and-social-care-courses/safe-handling-medication-training
Although the number of medication errors reported in direct observation studies ranges from six to 18 percent, the most common mistakes, such as wrong dose, wrong time, and omission, account for more than half of the total.
Considerable research has been undertaken on the issue of medication safety. Studies have looked at human factors, environmental factors, and technological processes. Researchers have also considered the role of equipment.
Many strategies can be used to reduce the risk of medication errors. The key to making these improvements is identifying and addressing system and environmental factors contributing to errors.
