Enhancing Quality and Safety-Role of Nurses in Medication Administration

 

Nurses play a key role in medication administration. Medication administration is a significant process because it determines treatment outcomes. Nurses should adhere to the standards and protocols when administering medication. After all, ineffective medication administration reduces patient safety and increases the risk of toxicities. This paper discusses the safety risks associated with medication administration, strategies for improving patient safety, and the role of an interdisciplinary team in care coordination.
Factors Leading to a Specific Patient-Safety Risk
            Various factors have been implicated in medication administration (M.A.) errors. M.A. errors impact patient safety by increasing the risk of toxicities and suboptimal clinical outcomes (Härkänen et al., 2019). Toxicities result from overdoses, whereas overdoses and wrong administration techniques cause suboptimal clinical outcomes (Härkänen et al., 2019). Firstly, inadequate training increases the risk of medication administration errors. On the other hand, regular training minimizes these errors by ensuring that nurses gain pertinent knowledge and skills regarding medication administration (Tsegaye et al., 2020). Secondly, distractors and interruptions increase the risk of M.A. errors. Distractors and interruptions will likely create confusion and mix-ups, leading to M.A. errors (Tsegaye et al., 2020). Thirdly, the absence of standard operating procedures (SOPs) and policies increases the risk of M.A. errors. Notably, SOPs and policies create harmony in clinical practice by adopting evidence-based practices (Kuitunen et al., 2021). Fourthly, lacking open communication increases the risk of M.A. errors (Tsegaye et al., 2020). Therefore, nurses should communicate effectively with other nurses, members of the interdisciplinary team, and patients. Open communication eliminates confusion and creates harmony among the team.
Evidence-Based and Best-Practice Solutions
Nurses and interdisciplinary team members should adopt different strategies to address M.A. errors to increase patient safety. Firstly, they should optimize their workflow. Optimizing workflow can be accomplished by implementing double checks, avoiding distractors, and reducing interruptions (MacDowell et al., 2021). Double-checking requires an independent nurse to verify and approve medications before administering them (MacDowell et al., 2021). Independent verifications increase the accuracy of medication administration. MacDowell et al. (2021) report that distractions and interruptions can be minimized by establishing dedicated medication areas and formulating policies to limit disruptions.

Secondly, standardized communication and regular training will minimize M.A. errors. Standardized communication via electronic health record systems helps to minimize errors emanating from “look-alike and sound alike” medication (MacDowell et al., 2021). Furthermore, this communication promotes adequate labeling to avoid confusion and mix-ups. By so doing, the risk of M.A. errors is lowered. On the other hand, regular training minimizes these errors by ensuring that nurses gain pertinent knowledge and skills regarding medication administration (MacDowell et al., 2021).

Thirdly, technology should be embraced to mitigate M.A. errors. Using barcodes minimizes medication administration errors by ensuring the right patient receives the correct medication and dosage (Vilela & Jericó, 2019). Findings indicate that using barcodes reduces the risk of medication administration errors by approximately 41 percent (MacDowell et al., 2021). Nurses and other healthcare providers should receive adequate training on using barcodes to improve workflow. Smart infusion pumps are another technological advance that mitigates M.A. errors. MacDowell et al. (2021) report that these infusion pumps are important because they detect potential errors and prompt nurses to correct them.