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Kierra Wiley

Professor Dean Leonard

English 1201.509

24 May 2019

Research Proposal: How can Healthcare Professionals Prevent Medication Errors?

Last semester, while taking my first nursing course, I watched a documentary in class

about an eighteen-month-old girl named Josie King. In 2001, Josie went to Johns Hopkins

Children’s Center and passed away due to medication errors made by her PCP (primary care

provider) and nurse. Her death was tragic and completely preventable. After watching this

documentary, it was eye-opening to see how many preventable injuries and deaths occur in

healthcare each year. In 2017, it was estimated by the FDA that 1.7 million people in the United

States are injured annually by medication errors. Josie’s story and statistics like this have sparked

my fire to learn more about medication errors and what healthcare professionals can do to keep

patients safe.

I feel that medication administration errors are happening all too frequently today, even

with all of the available education and training given to employees. I think most employees try to

maintain patient safety as best as they can, but mistakes happen quickly and sometimes go

unnoticed. I think most employees that make a mistake do report their error, but some

unfortunately do not. I believe it is very easy for medication errors to take place with employees

working long shifts several days in a row, having unsafe nurse to patient ratios and facing

distractions at work. Before doing my research, I am aware that the Joint Commission is a non

profit healthcare organization that regulates standards and procedures. The Joint Commission
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tracks data on errors made in healthcare settings and finds reasonable solutions to prevent further

errors from taking place.

As I begin to conduct my research, I am hoping to learn more about the causes of

medication errors and all of the regulations put in place for prevention. I am hoping to find the

answers to my questions through scholarly papers packed with research and statistics.

Medication administration errors are a very relevant and serious issue in healthcare today and

knowing as much as I can will help me maintain patient safety throughout my career.