There are thousands of different prescription medications used to treat hundreds of different medical conditions. Physicians, nurses and pharmacist are your best sources of information about your prescription medications. Guidelines for taking every kind of prescription medication could fill several books. Common types covered in your textbook include antibiotics, minor tranquilizers, and sleeping pills. Also, study the various ways medications are administered, such as oral (by the mouth, also called P.O.), parenteral (injection of a medication with a needle) and IV (Intravenous).
Below are a few helpful tips on how some basic medication errors can be avoided:
1. Always clarify an order if not readable, not a correct dosage, not a correct route.
2. Check the 5 rights of medication administration when administrating medication. Clarify orders if there is any question about the order; never assume it is correct just because a physician wrote the order.
3. Check with the formulary (pharmacy) on alike or sound drugs.
4. Provide both the generic and brand name in communications of drug orders.
5. Write the purpose for the medication on the prescription.
6. Provide patients with documentation about their medications.
7. Write in block letters, using upper-case (not cursive).
8. Avoid use of abbreviations and Latin directions for use (e.g., q.i.d., b.i.d.), and instead write it out, e.g., four times a day, twice a day.
9. Use a leading zero if a number is less than one (0.1), and don't use a trailing zero after a decimal (5.0).
10. Prescriptions should include: date, drug name, dosage, route of administration, frequency of administration, and signature and professional designation of authorized prescriber.
11. PRN orders should indicate a specific time interval.
12. Orders written by medical students (including sub-interns) should be countersigned by an authorized prescriber.
13. Include all known patient allergies in admission and transfer orders. The designation "no known allergies" should be used as appropriate.
14. Use only approved abbreviations.
15. Follow institution approved medication protocols.
16. Medication orders sheets should have the patient's name and other identification such as patient ID #, date of birth.
17. Orders for medication should include: date and time ordered, drug name, dosage, route of administration, frequency of administration.
18. An existing order may not be corrected, altered added to, or modified in any way. If change is necessary, the order must be discontinued and a new order written by the authorized prescriber. When discontinuing a medication, the prescriber should write the name of the drug being discontinued and not an order number.
19. Often the registered nurse (RN) is responsible for checking orders transcribed by a non-RN for accuracy. The RN initials or countersigns the signature of the non-RN transcribing the order as part of the verification for accuracy.
It is very important that every healthcare provider, doctor, pharmacist, nurse, and medical assistant realizes the importance of medication error detection, reporting, evaluation, and prevention, and each working professional makes preventing errors their own personal goal.
Assignment:
1. Read and study textbook pages 273-285
2. Complete the review questions on page 285-288
3. Please view the videos below:
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