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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 5 page research paper that discusses medication errors, their causes and prevention. The writer discusses the importance of error reporting systems, enumerates associated causes of medication error, and discusses how automatic medication systems aid nurses in following the "five rights" of correct medication administration. Bibliography lists 5 sources.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khmederp.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
is made. This constitutes a serious problem as these errors have the potential to negatively impact patient safety to a severe degree. In the US, it has been estimated that
roughly 7,000 people die annually due to a medication error, and medication error is currently the eighth leading cause of death in the US, with an annual cost of between
$17 and $29 billion. A similarly severe situation exists in Europe. Medication errors are responsible for creating a range of problem for patient care, which range from causing minor
discomfort to creating substantial changes in health status. The following overview of medication error focuses on the various ways in which healthcare institutions are working to alleviate this problem and
avoid these mistakes, which are costly both in terms of morbidity and morality, but also in financial liability. Pinpointing blame does not help Four years have passed since the
release of two Institute of Medicine (IOM) reports that alerted healthcare practitioners to patient safety issues. Programs initiated by federal government agencies stress that hospitals should formulate compliance initiatives and
reporting systems that facilitate the process of employees reporting patient safety incidents. These federal initiatives also stipulate that healthcare employees should have their confidentiality respects and should feel that they
are able to make error reports without fear of reprisal. Nevertheless, the consequence of possible disciplinary action and reprisal for clinicians causes many healthcare employees to hesitate in reporting incidents
where a medical error almost occurred and/or did occur, which means that an ideal opportunity for pinpointing weak points in a medication system is missed. Consequently, many organizations have formulated
policies and procedures that are designed to increase the reporting of incidents where a medication error was committed or almost committed. Research shows, however, that reprimand and blame remain the
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