medication errors

The medical team members who administer medications must ensure that they are giving the right medications to the right patients using the right method at the right time and in the right dose. Those five points are known as the "five rights" of medication...

Going to an emergency room for medical care is supposed to provide you with care that can save your life, not harm you. Sadly, some people who seek help in an emergency room don't get the care they need for one reason or another. In these cases, the person might...

Medication errors are serious matters because they can have a negative impact on patients who are already having medical issues. Medical facilities should ensure that they have proper protocol in place so that people who distribute the medications provide patients...

In our recent blog post, we discussed how registered nurses are responsible for a good number of medication errors in hospitals. This shocking news means that many patients who trust nurses to care for them properly might end up being harmed. We know that facing the...

The upcoming February 2017 print version of the Applied Nursing Research journal has a very interesting report about medical errors committed by registered nurses. These nurses are often considered the hallmark employees for patient care. This doesn't mean that they...

In our previous blog, we discussed how medication error rates vary greatly in the special needs community. While that post did deal with a very specific group, it is a good reminder for everyone that medication errors can happen so steps must be taken to reduce the...

Hearing about someone dying in a care facility is a horrible occurrence, especially when the death could have been prevented if the staff members had been properly caring for the resident. One such case, which happened at Chesco in Pageland, is especially troubling....

In our previous blog post, we discussed how medications that sound alike or are spelled alike can lead to medication errors. That is only one of the errors that can occur when a patient is prescribed medication. In fact, every step of the process from the prescription...

Some drug names sound alike or are very similar. This makes it possible that patients will receive the wrong medication because of the similarities. That simply isn't acceptable. In 2001, the United States Food and Drug Administration started the Name Differentiation...

In our previous blog post, we discussed how patients can help to prevent medication errors. If you recall, we covered how important it is for you to let your doctor know everything you are taking, including prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, and homeopathic...