Medication Error Is a Common Occurrence in Healthcare Sector

Questions: How Did This Make You Feel? What Happened And Why Did This Incident Occur? What Steps Could Of Prevented This? What Have You Learnt From This Scenario? Answers: Introducation: Medication error is a common occurrence in healthcare sector. For a very long time, a large number of patients have been harmed or lost lives because of the preventable mistakes done by the medics. It is however not a good thing to do because all healthcare providers are professionals who have undergone adequate training and prepared to effectively discharge their duties as required. As a healthcare provider, I always aspire to deliver high quality services to all my clients. This paper presents a critical reflection of an incidence in which I was involved in a medication error. It does this by using the Gibbs Reflection Cycle which is composed of the description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion, and action. Description The incidence that occurred was involving a Registered Nurse and me. On this day, I identified a medication error when I was monitoring a patient who had been assigned to be at the pediatric ward. After a thorough analysis, I realized that the medic had made a mistake by administering 24 units of insulin to a diabetic patient instead of 2.4 units which had been prescribed. This was a serious medication error which negatively impacted on the health of the patient. Feeling I had a feeling that this was a grievous mistake that endangered the life of the patient. It was unprecedented because it was something that was not expected of a competent medic. All the patients should be provided with safe healthcare services that can improve their health and increase their chances of recovery (Fairman, Rowe, Hassmiller Shalala, 2011). I know that if nurses entrust the medics with their life, it should be the responsibility of the nurse to deliver quality and harm-free services. Evaluation I would like to agree that a mistake actually occurred. The fact that the patient was given 24 instead of 2.4 units implies that there was a very big overdose. The medic must have made a mistake in documentation and interpretation of the data. It also appears that there was no good collaboration between the healthcare teams (Bradley Mott, 2014). This might have happened because there was disconnect in communication and handover. The mistake made harmed the patient by making the blood sugar level to tremendously reduce to from14 mmol/l to 3.5mmol/l. This is a clear proof that the error made was actually made (Starmer, et al., 2014). Otherwise, the level of blood sugar would not have experienced such a dramatic drop. The mistake really endangered the life of the patient. Analysis I would like to point out that the administration of 24 units instead of 2.4 units of insulin to the patient was indeed an act of omission (Aronowitz Fawcett, 2016). The healthcare provider appears to have not been keen because if it were not so, he would have administered the right quantity of insulin to the patient. If the records show that the patient was supposed to be given 2.4 units, it was not justifiable to be given 24 units because it would interfere with his deteriorating health (Coleman, Redley, Wood, Bucknall Botti, 2015). Diabetes is a chronic disease that needs to be properly managed. It should be the responsibility of the healthcare providers to examine the patient, prescribe medications, monitor the usage of drugs and provide the patient with self-management skills (Starmer, et al., 2014). However, failure to comply with the dosage implies that the medic was incompetent and irresponsible. He must not have mismanaged the documentation, failed to collaborate with his colleagues, and made wrong decisions (DiCenso, Cullum Ciliska, 2011). Action Plan In my action plan, I would like suggest that such medication errors can be eliminated by taking a number of measures. First, the medics should be closely monitored and helped by the Registered Nurse supervisor to discharge their duties (Anderson, Malone, Shanahan Manning, 2015). Besides, it should be the responsibility of the healthcare providers to foster the spirit of collaboration and team work (Melnyk, Gallagher?Ford, Long Fineout?Overholt, 2014). It can make the work easier because through collaboration, a practitioner can be supported by the colleagues and seniors who can give advice and offer opportunity to refer complex cases that require expertise support (Bylund, Peterson Cameron, 2012). In addition, bedside handover should be properly done to ensure that the responsibility of caring for the patient is smoothly transferred from one practitioner to the other. Lastly, the practitioner should be keen on the use of patients records. If proper documentation is done, it can be easier to provide the patient with the required intervention (Smith Parker, 2015). Conclusion In conclusion, the admission of 24 units of insulin instead of the recommended 2.4 units demonstrates that the practitioner did a medication error. I have a feeling that it was a great mistake that posed a lot of threats to the life of the patient. This is an error that could be prevented if appropriate measures were taken. Therefore, if given another opportunity to serve such a patient, the practitioner should discharge his duties with much keenness and responsibility. It can eliminate the occurrence of such preventable errors. References Anderson, J., Malone, L., Shanahan, K., Manning, J. (2015). Nursing bedside clinical handoveran integrated review of issues and tools. Journal of clinical nursing, 24(5-6), 662-671. Aronowitz, T., Fawcett, J. (2016). Thoughts About Social Issues: A Neuman Systems Model Perspective. 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