Medication error

Medication error, is a type of medical error where a the wrong drug is administered or other confusion (wrong patient, wrong dose, wrong time, wrong route) means that the correct drug was administered incorrectly.

Causes
Causes include:
 * Similar drug names being confused
 * Error caused by confusion in respect to two different preparations of the same drug
 * Failure to document in a timely manner leading to medication being given twice to the same patient
 * Medication inadvertently being given by the wrong route
 * Confusion being caused by two patients of a similar name
 * Prescriptions being misread due to poor handwriting
 * Inappropriate storage/stockpiling of out of date medications

Prevention
A number of steps can be taken to reduce these errors these include
 * Reduce distractions at times when medication is being given.
 * Check patient identification information thoroughly.
 * Ensure that all medication charts are written clearly in accordance with explicit policy and Professional guidance.
 * Ensure that drug storage areas are kept clean, neat and tidy.
 * Ensure that unwanted or unnecessary medications are returned to pharmacy for destruction.
 * Ensure that all patients receive appropriate advice and information about the medications that they take on a regular basis, and that such discussions are fully documented.
 * Report all future drug errors, including near-miss events, to ensure on-going learning within the organisation.