Interventions for Reducing Medication Errors

Medication Administration Entails Six Rights, Namely:

Right individual

Right medicine

Right dosage

Right route

Right time, and Right documentation (Six Rights of Medication Administration, n.d; Perry, Potter & Ostendorf, 2015).

Right Individual

For ensuring that one administers medicine to the correct person, one must firstly know the person, and remain focused on the job to avoid giving that medication to the wrong person (Six Rights of Medication Administration, n.d).

Right Medication

For ensuring that the medication is right, one should carefully read the label on the drug/medicine, and triple check it. It should be borne in mind that some of the medications possess two or more names: brand name, along with no less than one generic name (Six Rights of Medication Administration, n.d).

Right Dosage

This refers to amount of the particular medication an individual can consume at a time. For dosage determination, one must be aware of each individual medication's strength. With regard to liquid medications, medication strength in liquid measure must be known (Six Rights of Medication Administration, n.d).

Right Time

Some medications can only be taken at some specific points of time in a day, whereas for others, this time factor for medication consumption is less important (Six Rights of Medication Administration, n.d).

Question 2

Medicine instructions or prescriptions indicate the quantity and number of times in a day the particular medication needs to be taken. For some drug, calculation of correct dosage is very precise; only professionals should undertake this task. Patients should only consume the dosage specified in the instructions or prescription. Another key factor in administration of medicines is timing. There are some drugs that become effective only after they reach a certain steady level in the patient's bloodstream. Therefore, such medications must be taken at appropriate intervals for maintaining that medicine level in the body. One must be aware of medication movement within the body, in addition to its effects and likely side effects. Patients must only alter medication dosage after consulting with their physician (Krucik, 2013).

Question 3

Needle-stick injuries may be prevented through employing equipment that contain safety features, elimination of unnecessary needle usage, and sponsoring safe practices at work and education, in relation to needle handling and associated systems. Injury can be averted by planning beforehand for safe needle use and disposal; keeping sharps containers in places where children, pets, etc. can't access them; and, avoiding spillage of used needles and other sharps (while transporting) by securing them before transportation. Practices for infection prevention, general hygiene, and standard precautions need to be consistently followed for preventing injuries (How to Prevent Needle-stick and Sharps Injuries, 2012)

Question 4

Patients should be made aware of what their rights are prior to medication administration, including policy information pertaining to patient rights. Health status of a patient must be known to him/her and family; further, they must be aware of the type of healthcare givers serving them, and take part in developing and implementing personal care plan. They should know that they can refuse or request any medication, and have the right to be told about the treatment consequences, as well as consequences of treatment refusal. Also, they should know that what health-related personal information they decide to impart to the physician will dictate what treatment they get. Care outcomes, services, treatment options, and unanticipated outcomes must be made known to them. They must know to report any pain, and get these reports accepted by healthcare specialists, with appropriate action taken. Patient dignity and privacy are also a patient right, which they must know of. Neglect, exploitation and abuse can happen in hospital settings and patients must be warned to beware of such risks. They must know that they can voice their concerns and queries before the physician, and in the event they do not grasp a statement or piece of instruction uttered by the physician, they have the right to ask again; after all, it is their body -- they have every right to seek information (Patient Rights & Responsibilities, n.d).

Question 5

Intramuscular injections get absorbed faster than subcutaneous injections as there is more blood supply to muscle tissues than to the region just under one's skin. Moreover, muscle tissue can hold a greater quantity of medication compared to subcutaneous tissue. Some medicines irritate the veins and therefore, intramuscular injections are preferable, at times, to intravenous injection. In some cases, the doctor/nurse administering the injection fails to locate an appropriate vein. Intramuscular shots can be used in place of orally administering a medication, as the human digestive system destroys some drugs upon swallowing (Krucik, 2013). The term needle 'gauge' refers to needle 'size'. That is, gauge is measured based on needle thickness. A 22 gauge needle is smaller and peds sized, while a needle of 18-gauge is mostly used for adults or people going into a surgical procedure. Clearly, from the above statement, needle size increases with decrease in gauge number. Needle Length denotes a combination of needle thickness (gauge) and length (Syringe & pen needle sizes, n.d).