Databases

Kenny, K. (2016). Empowering nurses to address the persistent challenge of medication errors. Retrieved January 11, 2017 from: http://www.healthcare-informatics.com/article/ehr/empowering-nurses-address-persistent-challenge-medication-errors

Why was this article, blog, post, or multimedia chosen?

I chose this article because nurses are increasingly being required to manage more and more areas of patient care.  Medication administration, an intermediary position between families and physicians, collaborating care between departments, screening all care and orders for inconsistencies and safety issues, and acting as a physical and occupational therapist are some of the roles that need to be juggled throughout a shift. Having to juggling all of those roles along with the immense amount of incoming information that needs to be remembered, increases the likelihood of medication errors occurring.

What makes it interesting, appropriate, or reputable?

Every nurse can probably relate to a shift of juggling several heavy patient assignments, being overwhelmed with new orders that need to be taken off an carried out, documentation, and patient medications that were due almost an hour ago but you haven’t had a chance to stop in to the med room yet in between family questions and phone calls. Stopping and calling the pharmacy or searching through a medication database is just too time consuming. That is why providing nurses with medication learning solutions are so important.  Having relevant drug interactions, safe doses, and side effects in an easy to understand format that is quicker to access with the most relevant information is literally a life-saver.

Is it an opinion? Case study? Research study? Product review?

This article was a product review of medication learning solutions.

What was the need, problem, issue or trend addressed in the article, blog, post, or multimedia?

The article reports that the estimated number of American’s effected by medication errors is 1.5 million people, of which 7,000 result in death, as well as a $21 billion price tag on the healthcare budget annually.  This increasing number of medication errors is why the importance of medication learning solutions for healthcare organizations should increase correspondingly.

What was the solution for which technology had an answer?

Having relevant drug interactions, safe doses, and side effects in an easy to understand format that is quicker to access with the most relevant information, and therefore preventing medication errors.

What implications might this have in healthcare delivery?

Medication learning tools help nurses administer medications safely, ultimately decreasing the cost of healthcare, provides education for patients which also improves compliance and patient satisfaction. 

What did you learn from it that might have application for your practice?

The rehab where I work per-diem does not utilize tools for electronic medication administration. Having an assignment of fifteen patient that are each on multiple medications increases the chance of medication errors. Racing to get all of the patients medicated in the morning is like sprinting a marathon.  The large patient load, medication drawers filled with hundreds of different medications, many distractions, and no access to a medication databases or medication learning tools, make the perfect storm for making mistakes. This needs to be presented to administration, along with the financial benefits which will hopefully encourage them to consider medication learning tools.

Reference

Kenny, K. (2016). Empowering nurses to address the persistent challenge of medication errors. Retrieved January 11, 2017 from: http://www.healthcare-informatics.com/article/ehr/empowering-nurses-address-persistent-challenge-medication-errors