This paper examines the importance of exploring a broad range of evidence sources when addressing the practice problem of high medication error rates in healthcare settings. The author reviews nursing-focused databases such as BioMed Central, Cochrane, and JAMA alongside business and economics databases to identify workplace error reduction strategies applicable to medication safety. The paper explains how prioritizing systematic reviews and meta-analyses strengthens the evidence base, and argues that limiting research to nursing literature alone risks missing critical insights from other industries. By drawing on interdisciplinary evidence, clinicians can develop more comprehensive and effective medication safety interventions.
The paper demonstrates purposeful database selection as an evidence-based practice skill. Rather than searching broadly or arbitrarily, the author explains the reasoning behind choosing both medical databases (BioMed Central, Cochrane, JAMA) and business/economics sources (Emerald Insight, Science Direct), and explicitly connects keyword choices to the PICOT question. This models the systematic, transparent approach expected in evidence-based nursing research.
The paper is organized into three functional sections: an introduction that defines the practice problem and previews relevant nursing strategies; a methods-style section detailing the databases searched and keywords used; and an analytical section arguing why limiting evidence sources produces flawed conclusions. A brief reference list in APA format closes the paper. The structure mirrors a mini evidence appraisal report, moving logically from problem identification to search strategy to critical reflection.
The practice problem addressed in this paper focuses on reducing the high incidence of medication errors in a selected practice setting. From the nursing perspective, a medication error is any deviation from the procedures, policies, and best practices of medication administration (Alrabadi et al., 2021). The nursing literature identifies a variety of strategies that healthcare organizations can use to minimize the risk of medication errors. These include conducting medication safety education for staff, installing alarm notification systems, investing in electronic systems that allow for seamless communication between physicians and pharmacists, and using physician order entries in place of handwritten prescriptions to enhance legibility (Alrabadi et al., 2021).
However, deciding on the best course of action requires an exploration of sources outside the medical field to obtain a holistic picture of how organizations in other industries have addressed similar problems and what challenges they have encountered. This broader approach ensures that the project team is better prepared to handle any challenges that may arise from implementing the selected solution.
To address the practice problem, the researcher maintained a primary focus on library databases related to the medical field, including BioMed Central, Cochrane, and the Journal of the American Medical Association. The search used the following keywords drawn from the PICOT question: medication errors, medication safety education, and notification alarm AND reducing medication errors. These sources primarily provided information on what constitutes medication errors, the types of medication errors, their causes, and strategies for reducing the risk of occurrence. Because the search sought data on an intervention, the researcher prioritized systematic reviews and meta-analyses, which compare the findings of different studies using statistical analysis (Stillwell et al., 2010).
In addition, the researcher sought information from business and economics databases, specifically the Journal of Business and Economics, Business eBooks, ResearchGate, Science Direct, and Emerald Insight. A general search on Google was also conducted using the keywords: medication errors AND workplace errors AND minimizing workplace errors. This search yielded a range of relevant articles that broadly identified the primary causes of workplace errors and the strategies organizations have used to address them.
Addressing a complex clinical problem such as medication errors requires drawing on a diverse range of evidence sources. Relying solely on nursing databases risks missing critical insights from business, economics, and organizational research that could meaningfully inform the design and implementation of a medication safety intervention. By intentionally broadening the evidence search to include interdisciplinary sources, researchers and project teams are better equipped to anticipate challenges, refine their strategies, and ultimately improve patient safety outcomes.
Alrabadi, N., Shawagfeh, S., Haddad, R., … & Al-Faouri, I. (2021). Medication errors: A focus on nursing practice. Journal of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research, 12(1), 78–86.
National Academies Press. (2017). Real world evidence generation and evaluation of therapeutics: Proceedings of a workshop. Washington, DC: Author.
Stillwell, S., Fineout-Overholt, E., Mazurek, M., & Kathleen, W. (2010). Evidence-based practice: Step by step—searching for the evidence. American Journal of Nursing, 110(5), 41–47.
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