Medication Errors in Nursing

Medication errors can occur during any step in the medication administration process - from the ordering by a healthcare provider to preparation by a pharmacist to delivery to the patient by a nurse.

There often are even more steps involving other members of the healthcare team, such as technicians or transporters.

As the final step in the administration process and the last line of defense against medication errors, nurses must follow the rights of medication administration to minimize the risk of medication errors:

Right patient
Right medication
Right dose
Right route
Right time
Right documentation
Right reason
Right response

Types of Medication Errors

Although errors may occur at any point, they are most common at the ordering or prescribing stage. During or following medication administration is when many types of medication errors in nursing are discovered.

Some Common Medication Error Types Include:

Incorrect patient
Prescribing errors
Inaccurate order transcription
Administration of incorrect drug or dose
Wrong dose preparation or timing
Incorrect route of administration
Failure to obtain or consider allergy history
Consideration of patient renal or liver function

Causes of Medication Errors

To reduce the occurrence of medication errors in nursing, faculty and nursing students need to understand the common causes of medication errors and the risk factors, such as poor communication, high volume, and lack of monitoring, that make errors more likely.

Some Common Causes of Medication Errors Include:

Incorrect preparation
Incorrect drug strength or dose
Incorrect dosing duration
Expired product
Incorrect timing or rate
Known allergen or contraindication
Pharmacist error
Distraction
Poor handwriting or translation
Lack of consideration of patient age or other health conditions

Medication Errors in Nursing Resources

Learn more about medication errors in nursing, including types of medication errors, causes of medication errors, and common medication errors by exploring the content below.

Types and Causes of Medication Errors

Medication Errors
Find out what medication errors have recently been reported to the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) and learn recommendations for best practices to help avoid these errors.

NCPD Agent-Based Modeling Simulation of Nurse Medication Administration Errors
CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing
3 contact hours

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