Nurses in New York can reduce the chances of making a medication error by following some simple steps. First, they should observe what is known as the five rights for medication administration. This means transcribing the medication and making sure the right dosage of the right medication is prescribed for the right patient. It should also use the correct route and timing.
While medication is meant to help people with pain, injuries and illnesses, it is also causing adverse affects to patients in New York and around the country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 700,000 people around the country make medication-related emergency hospital visits each year. For these reasons, it is important that medical personnel are familiar with the federal regulations regarding the administration of medication, as outlined by the CDC.
Read more: Improving the safety of medication administration
Individuals in New York should ask their pharmacists some questions about their prescriptions to ensure that they take the medication accurately. This should be done whether it is a new medication or one the individual has been taking for a long time. Individuals should know the name of their medication and what they are taking it for so that they can identify it as needed for refills or in case of an incident like an emergency room visit.
Many women in New York rely on contraceptive pills to prevent unwanted pregnancies, but a strict schedule must be followed if the drugs are to be effective. The Alabama-based pharmaceutical company Qualitest recalled several of its birth control pills in 2012 after discovering that they had been labelled incorrectly, and the company is now facing litigation from 111 women who claim that the error led to unwanted pregnancies. The company is also being sued by two women who did not become pregnant.
Read more: Lawsuit claims that labelling error caused unwanted pregnancies
Patients who deal with serious allergies may be familiar with precautions taken in New York hospitals during surgical procedures. However, the surgical environment can be intense, demanding quick decisions in response to serious situations. The potential for human error exists, and a recent study indicates that medication errors are actually quite common in this setting. The study noted that nearly half of the operations included involve at least one medication mistake.
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