Applying Research Skills
Medication errors are one of the most common problems affecting medical organizations across the healthcare system due to issues, such as wrong subscriptions or administration of medications. A medication error is a preventable adverse effect of a patient taking the wrong medication or dosage, whether or not it is evident or harmful. Medication errors can be a source of severe patient harm, including death. The problem is a cause for concern because of the cost on the individual and the organization in general due to the need for treatment of the adverse effect of the error and possible death from the clinical complications of administration of wrong medicine or missing out on critical treatment through mistakes of medical staff, such as nurses. While working in a healthcare organization, I have come across some patients being treated for adverse effects of wrong medicine due to medical errors. For example, one elderly patient was in the ICU due to an error in medication that led to her treatment with the wrong drug, which also meant that she missed out on her critical treatment with the right medication. Although she recovered, I came to terms with the potential danger of the error, which informed my need for further research.
Search Criteria
Proper research begins with the identification of scholarly or peer-reviewed articles from online databases. The search strategy included the keying in of the keywords, such as medication administration, medication errors, medication safety, on the database to generate potential sources of information on the topic. I used Google scholar to get the articles for the research.
Annotated Bibliography
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2012). Table 6: Categories of Medication Error Classification. http://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/quality-patient-safety/patient-safety-resources/resources/match/matchtab6.html
The source is academic since it contains information from a professional organization with adequate knowledge regarding the topic of medication errors. It is a recent article having been published online in 2012 (within the past ten years). The material includes critical information about the six categories of medication errors: “No error, capacity to cause error; Error that did not reach the patient; Error that reached patient but unlikely to cause harm (omissions considered to reach patient); Error that reached the patient and could have necessitated monitoring and/or intervention to preclude harm; Error that could have caused temporary harm; Error that could have caused temporary harm requiring initial or prolonged hospitalization; Error that could have resulted in permanent harm; Error that could have necessitated intervention to sustain life; and Error that could have resulted in death” (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2012). The article is included due to the insight into the most common medication errors, which makes it critical for research on the topic.
Cohen, M. (2016). Medication errors (miscellaneous). Nursing. 46(2):72, February 2016. DOI: 10.1097/01.NURSE.0000476239.09094.06
The source is a peer-reviewed article from a reputable nursing journal and contains recent information, having been published in 2016. The source includes the possible causes of medication errors in hospitals, such as wrong medication storage, wrongful administration of medications, and inability to read medication information. Such mistakes are common in healthcare facilities and can cause adverse effects on a patient receiving such medicines. The article is included in the research to provide background information on the common mistakes that healthcare providers make when administering medicine to patients. Therefore, the source’s selection will add to the current knowledge of medication errors in hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
Institute for Healthcare Improvement. (2017). Improve Core Processes for Administering Medications. http://www.ihi.org/resources/Pages/Changes/ImproveCoreProcessesforAdministeringMedications.aspx
The article contains professional information by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, which has adequate knowledge relating to the topic of medication errors. The article was published in 2017, which means that it contains recent information. The professional organization presents information regarding the means of improving the administration of medications to prevent errors. The author defines a medication error as “a process failure can start a chain of events leading to an adverse drug event” (Institute for Healthcare Improvement, 2017). The article advises using tools, such as Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) to identify possible causes of errors to reduce the risk at an organizational level. The article is included in the research due to the inclusion of strategies to determine the risk of medication errors to implement practical solutions. Thus, the source will be useful in research on medication errors.
Schmidt, K., Taylor, A., & Pearson, A. (2017). Reduction of medication errors: A unique approach. Journal of Nursing Care Quality. 32(2), April/June 2017, 150–156.
The article is an academic peer-reviewed source of information regarding medication errors and strategies to prevent them effectively. Having been published in 2017, the report contains recent information on the topic of medication errors. The purpose of the source is to determine the role of Socio-Technical Probabilistic Risk Assessment in reducing medication errors in healthcare organizations. Schmidt, Taylor, and Pearson (2017) suggest the efficacy of the assessment tool in understanding the history of medical errors and future steps to increase reliability in medication processes and reduce the rate of erring. The article is selected for the research since it provides reliable steps that healthcare providers can use to reduce the rate of medication errors. Therefore, it will be useful to research the steps to prevent medication errors to improve the medication process in health care.
Summary
Developing the annotated bibliography provides knowledge regarding the quality of evidence useful in the research process. The research process helps healthcare providers develop critical knowledge to add to the existing and improve their practice. Research helps identify what is existing on the topic of the research and bridges current gaps on the subject. I have learned various aspects of the research process, such as the current causes of medication errors and potential solutions to reduce them in hospitals. I have also learned how to use adequate evidence to support the solution to the identified problem. The sources I have selected will improve knowledge on medication errors, their causes, effects, and solutions.