Which are effective ways to help prevent medication errors? ...

[swpotter12]

Which are effective ways to help prevent medication errors? (Select all that apply.)
 
  a. Developing nonpunitive approaches to track errors
  b. Focusing on caregivers who make errors
  c. Helping patients to be active, informed members of the healthcare team
  d. Naming, blaming, and shaming those who make errors
  e. Using electronic medical order entry systems

Question 2

A nursing student is preparing to give a medication that has a black box warning. The student asks the nurse what this means. What will the nurse explain about black box warnings?
 
  a. They indicate that a drug should not be given except in life-threatening circumstances.
  b. They provide detailed information about the adverse effects of the drug.
  c. They alert prescribers to ways to mitigate potential harm from side effects.
  d. They provide information about antidotes in the event toxicity occurs.

[spencer.martell]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: A, C, E
To help prevent medication errors, it is important to create an environment for tracking errors that is nonpunitive so that caregivers can learn from mistakes and work together to change systems appropriately. Helping patients be active, informed members of the healthcare team is a useful tool in this process. Using electronic order entry helps eliminate confusion from poor handwriting and allows built-in systems to warn caregivers about possible overdoses, side effects, and drug interactions; it also helps ensure the right dose at the right time to the right patient. An approach that focuses on those who make mistakes by naming, blaming, and shaming is not productive and often results in personnel who cover up mistakes instead of working to make things better.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: C
Black box warnings are used to alert providers to potential side effects and to ways to prevent or reduce harm from these side effects. The black box warning is placed on any drug that, although useful, has serious side effects; this is a way to keep drugs on the market while protecting patients. Many of these drugs are used in situations that are not life threatening. The black box warning provides a concise summary and not a detailed explanation of drug side effects. The black box warning does not include antidotes to toxicity.

[swpotter12]

Thanks

[spencer.martell]

Welcome