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Interventions For Reducing Medication Errors Research Paper

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...

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…

Sources used in this document:
References

How to Prevent Needle stick and Sharps Injuries. (2012, February 1). Retrieved October 19, 2015, from http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2012-123/pdfs/2012-123.pdf

Krucik, G. (2013, May 20). Intramuscular Injection. Retrieved October 19, 2015, from http://www.healthline.com/health/intramuscular-injection#Procedure3

Krucik, G. (2013, May 22). Administration of Medication. Retrieved October 19, 2015, from http://www.healthline.com/health/administration-of-medication#Problems5

Patient Rights & Responsibilities. (n.d.). Retrieved October 19, 2015, from http://www.umchealthsystem.com/index.php/for-patients/patient-rights
Six Rights of Medication Administration. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2015, from http://www.dhhs.nh.gov/dcbcs/bds/nurses/documents/sectioniv.pdf
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