Running head: PREVENTING MEDICATION ERRORS 1

Module 01 Discussion - Preventing Medication Errors: Getting Patients Involved

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PREVENTING MEDICATION ERRORS: GETTING PATIENTS INVOLVED 2

How should patients be involved in medication administration?

Patients' participation in medication management helps to reduce medication errors

significantly. Nonetheless, there is a limited understanding of how patients can participate in

medication management while in the hospital. Patients can involve themselves in the

medication administration by asking a question regarding the medications being prescribed.

Patients can also help healthcare providers by issuing information about their health history

and the type of drugs they have received in the past (Oproescu, 2017). Asking and answering

a question on their health status would also help the nurses to make the right decision while

administering medication.

What questions should the patients ask?

Whenever one is prescribing a new medication, it is essential to understand the patients'

history and other types of medication they might have been using. The patient should enquire

about the strength of the medication because they are well aware of their medication history

and the impact of the medicine on their body than the nurses could understand (Rybinski et

al., 2017). When a patient peaks a prescription, they should always consult and review how to

take medicine to avoid underdose and overdose.

How can you encourage your patient to speak up when receiving medication(s)?

A patient can be encouraged to speak up by being asked more questions. A request for more

detailed and direct questions health the nurse to understand the condition of the patient. The

nurse should listen to the patient without being interrupted and ask more follow up questions

(Rybinski et al., 2017). The nurse should also take the time to validate the patient's concerns.

Pay attention to the patient also entails slowing down to listen to them and make them

understand one appreciates their contribution to their wellbeing.

PREVENTING MEDICATION ERRORS: GETTING PATIENTS INVOLVED 3

What could medication errors be prevented by patients speaking up?

Encouraging the patients to speak up can help the patients being issued with drugs that look

alike or sound like the prescribed ones. Speaking up can also help the nurse to understand the

side effects of the drug they are prescribing to the patient and how the impact on their bodies

(Oproescu, 2017). The patients must be encouraged to mention other complications they may

have to enable healthcare professionals to provide the most preferred medication for the

prevalent ailment. To conclude, the best approach to preventing mediation error is to

encourage the patient to speak up and become a vital member of the healthcare team.
PREVENTING MEDICATION ERRORS: GETTING PATIENTS INVOLVED 4

References

Oproescu, A. (2017). Prevention of errors in the evaluation process.

doi:10.15405/epsbs.2017.05.02.250

Rybinski, M., Lyovkin, P., Sniegirova, V., & Kopec, D. (2017). Medical errors and their

prevention. Health, 04(04), 165-172. doi:10.4236/health.2012.44025