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In the mix: Six categories of medication errors

Stressed Out Nurses Weekly, May 12, 2008

This excerpt is adapted from Quick-E: Medication Management, a new addition to the Quick-E series. The 12 new editions, with a revamped look and updated information, will roll off the presses next month.

Often medication errors are directly tied to errors in reading, writing, or interpreting charted information. Complications related to medication-related incidents and errors are costly, at best. At worst, drug-related mishaps increase the incidence of hospitalization and death. Medication errors adversely affect quality of life.

Medication-related incidents affecting patient safety fall into six general categories:

1. Medication administration errors
   A medication error is a preventable event that causes or leads to inappropriate medication use or patient harm. Errors may be related to professional practice, healthcare products, procedures, and systems, including prescribing; order communication; product labeling, packaging, and nomenclature; compounding; dispensing; distribution; administration; education; monitoring; and use. Medication errors have many causes, including the following:
   
   • Lack of knowledge about the drug/the patient's medical condition
   • Inadequate education
   • Taking shortcuts
   • Substandard work performance
   • Incorrect, inadequate, or absent documentation
   • Lack of drug information references (or failing to use the references available)
   • Human error
   • Distractions and interruptions
   • Systems failure in the processes involved in prescribing, ordering, dispensing, and administering medication
2. Overuse of medication
   This category of medication errors involves two subcategories:
   
   • Medication use without medical indication. (The patient has no medically valid reason for taking a drug.)
   • Overdosage. The medication is indicated for the patient's condition, but he or she receives more than he or she needs. Many reasons can be given for overdosage.
3. Use of inappropriate/contraindicated medications
   Improper drug selection: The patient has a condition for which medication is indicated, but he or she is taking an inappropriate or incorrect drug.  

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