Study 1 Medication Errors and the Medication-Use System with 12 free online flashcards. Review key terms, definitions, and concepts with this interactive flashcard deck.
What are the six stages of the medication-use process?
Medication use typically includes prescribing, transcribing and communicating, reviewing and verifying, dispensing and preparing, administering or taking, and monitoring and follow-up.
What is a medication error?
A medication error is a preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or harm. It can occur whether or not the medicine reaches the patient.
What can cause a wrong-dose medication error?
A wrong-dose error can involve an incorrect calculation, measurement, or decimal point.
What does human factors study in medication safety?
Human factors studies how people interact with tasks, tools, technology, the work environment, and one another.
What should medication review and verification check?
Check the order against the patient’s history, allergies, current medicines, and relevant clinical information.
Why can an error early in medication use affect later stages?
A problem at one stage can pass into later stages unless a person or safety measure detects it.
What is a medication near miss?
A near miss is an error caught before it reaches the patient.
What is an adverse drug event, and how does it differ from a medication error?
An adverse drug event is harm associated with medication use. It may result from an error, but it can also occur when medication is prescribed and used correctly.
Does a medication error always cause harm?
A medication error does not automatically mean the patient was harmed, and medication-related harm does not always prove that an error occurred.
What is an omission error?
An omission occurs when a prescribed dose is missed or not given.
What does LASA mean in medication safety?
Look-alike or sound-alike medicines have names or packaging that can be confused.
Why are some medications designated high-alert?
High-alert medications are designated as such because an error involving them carries a greater risk of serious harm. This does not mean every error will cause harm.