A mistake can be critical for a nurse, and they do
happen. It can end a career; however,
this is rare. The fact is as long as
nurses remain human, errors will occasionally occur. We must face them, and they get over them to
continue on in their career.
Common Errors
As one might suspect, the most common nursing error
involves dispensing the wrong medication. One way this can happen is by administering it to the wrong
patient. Nurses are often pressed for
time, and may have multiple patients they are caring for. It’s not terribly surprising that on occasion
a medication is given to the wrong patient.
A nurse at a large hospital had an impeccable
reputation. She had been
a nurse for 20 years, and was named nurse of the year on more than one
occasion. She worked in ICU one night when
it was very busy and understaffed. The
nurse had two patients in room’s right next to one another. One was a 55-year-old with pneumonia, while
the other was a 58-year-old with a heart condition. The nurse accidently administered the heart
drug, and ata rapid drip to the patient with pneumonia, thinking it was an
antibiotic. The patient passed within
minutes. The nurse lost her career over
what was a very serious error; however it was just that, an error.This is an example of what can occur under
busy and stressful situations.
When things are busy, or you happen to be short
staffed, it is very important to continue to maintain time spent preparing
medications and performing procedures. It may mean patients have to wait, and it may involve you working late,
however it also may prevent a critical mistake.
Many methods have been put in place over the years to
prevent errors with medications. Many
medical centers now have patient ID’s on bracelets that are scanned and matched
to medications. Regardless, medications
errors are still possible, and do still happen.
Infection Control
Infections are a problem in most medical
facilities. They can occur with any
opening into the skin, and a hospital certainly has a massive supply of
bacteria to go around. Currently
infections occurring in U.S. hospitals account for 100,000 deaths per
year.The number one defense against
creating an infection is hygiene. Not only
proper hand washing, but ensuring you do not have long sleeves that can harbor
bacteria and transmit from one patient to another. Always use proper aseptic techniques,
cleaning and disinfection procedures, and practice all you learned in infection
prevention training.
Documentation
Errors
With computers and
tablets becoming the normal in charting, it seems to be a great addition to the
medical community. It saves time, and
makes everything easier; however there is learning to doing things in an
entirely new way. Also, reality, fingers
can slip, delete keys can be tapped, errors can occur in this method as
well. The best way to ensure proper
documentation is to take your time with entering information. Next go back and read over what you just entered. Then, as your shift is ending, go back and
read one more time to make sure what you are entering. Check, check, and re-check. Some hospitals have a buddy system with
charting, and a coworker checks what you entered, however even in this case, double
check yourself.
Obtaining Proper Health Information
It really is vital to
obtain the medical history from a patient. If they do not currently have records available in the system, they must
provide you with details. The patient
may be not feeling well, or on medication, but it is critical to get needed
medical history. Patients may have
allergies that could be fatal, or be on medications that can cause adverse
reactions. If the patient is not
forthcoming with medical information, you will have to probe and engage until
you feel secure you have all needed detailed medical history.
These are some of the
most common errors reported by nurses. So, what happens when one occurs?
Be honest and admit your mistake right away to the appropriate person. Document the incident, and be exact with what
happened and led up to the mistake. In
most cases it will be recorded and you move on, the first priority is to ensure
the safety of the patient.
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