Skip to main content

//Tips// Avoiding medication errors

Medication errors are more common than most nurses would believe or much less admit. But in the real world it is perhaps one of the leading reasons for nurses losing their licenses, at the very least, or causing irreparable damage to a client's health, at the very worse.

With the hope of reducing the number of medication errors committed by nurses, we're offering some tips to remember in safe medication administration.

Transdermal drug patch overdose

Transdermal drug patch overdose occurs more commonly because of one of two reason, either a patient forgets to mention the use of transdermal patch at home or the nurse applies a new patch without removing a previous one.

To avoid drug overdose in the use of transdermal patches, here are some sugestions culled from nursingcenter.com:

* Include removal of an existing patch on the Medication Administration Record (MAR).
* Ask the patient if he or she has any patches on and where they are located.
* Never assume a patch has fallen off.
* Include a question about non-oral medications during medication reconciliation.
* Apply an additional, more noticeable label to a clear patch.
*Document removal of one-time use patches on the MAR.

10 drugs in med errors

Here is a list of automated dispensing cabinet drugs commonly involved in medication errors. Study the proper administration of these drugs:

1. morphine
2. heparin
3. oxycodone
4. diltiazem
5. ketorolac
6. meperidine
7. dopamine
8. hetastarch
9. methylergonovine
10. promethazine

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

//How To// Applying for a license in New Zealand

Filipino nurses who wish to register with the Nursing Council of New Zealand must show proof that they are registered with the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) of the Philippines as a nurse and they must either 1) have completed an assessment program or 2) have earned a qualification equivalent to a New Zealand nursing qualification. Only a nursing degree earned from an Australian nursing school is deemed equivalent to a NZ nursing qualification, so unless you have the money to enroll in Australia or NZ, the best route to take is the 6-week competency assessment program. To simplify the application process, here's what you need to do: 1. Take the IELTS. A band of 7 on all parts of the exam is required by the NZ Nursing Council. An average of 7, with scores below 7 in any part will not qualify you for registration. You must consistently score at least 7 in all parts--reading, listening, writing and speaking. 2. Once you have the IELTS, contact the NZ Nursing Council. You wil

// How To // UPDATED Applying for a nursing license in Illinois

UPDATE: In Sept. 2011, IDFPR made some changes to the application guidelines that affect internationally-educated nurses. Updated information is provided after each step, where necessary. Here's a quick rundown of the things to do when applying for a nursing license in the state of Illinois if you're a foreign-educated nurse: 1. Apply for a Credentials Evaluation Service (CES) report from the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS). Request for a Course by Course evaluation or the Full Education report. Download the application form from the CGFNS Web site (http://www.cgfns.org). *** You may apply for a CES with either CGFNS or with Education Records Evaluation Services . 2. If your school's medium of instruction is NOT English, apply and take the TOEFL iBT (www.ets.org/toefl). How do you know if you're school's medium of instruction is English? Aside from trying to recall if your teachers taught in English and made you read books in Engli