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Analyzing a Current Health Care Problem or Issue  

Medication errors can be described as a failure in the medication management process. It can be due to improper prescription, administration, or inaccurate medication records that can potentially damage the patient, resulting in poor health outcomes (Mosisa et al., 2022). This academic paper addresses a significant healthcare concern: medication errors within the healthcare system. The growing incidences of medication errors have developed my interest in this topic.

As a healthcare provider, I must prioritize initiatives to prevent these errors in my nursing practice. In the professional context, I have observed various medication errors in my organization where healthcare providers administered incorrect medication doses, misread prescriptions, and neglected possible drug interactions, leading to severe patient complications. Thus, it is essential to tackle the underlying causes and put strong protections in place to reduce medication errors and ensure patient safety.

Medication Errors as a Healthcare Issue

Globally, medication errors cause morbidity, mortality, and adverse economic effects. The prevalence of medication errors may be correlated with the involvement of healthcare professionals such as medical experts, unit assistants, physicians, pharmacists, and nurses. In USA Intensive Care Units (ICUs), it has been observed that 42% of medication errors are crucial to continuing treatment, while 19% are life-threatening (Alrabadi et al., 2021). One-quarter of all healthcare errors are related to medication errors, including prescribing, transcribing, dispensing, administering, and monitoring. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that drug errors cost the global economy $42 billion yearly, or 0.7% of all health spending (Manias et al., 2020). According to the study by Alqenae et al. (2020), Medication errors (MEs) and adverse drug events (ADEs) are common and create severe risks to patients’ safety after discharge from the hospital.

According to the review, over half of adult and senior patients have at least one medication error after discharge, with one in every five having one or more ADEs. Antibiotics, antidiabetics, analgesics, and cardiovascular medicines are the most typically related medication classes with ADEs. This highlights the significance of addressing medication safety during care transitions, and further research is required to find effective strategies to lessen these risks.

NHS FPX 4000 Assessment 4 Analyzing a Current Health Care Problem or Issue

These articles are valuable because they analyze the global significance of medication errors, their impact on patient safety, and the economic consequences. They provide specific statistics and insights into the prevalence and severity of medication errors. They highlight the need for interventions and research to mitigate these risks and improve healthcare outcomes.

Analyze the Problem or Issue in Medication Error

Medication errors are preventable mistakes that can result in incorrect medication use or harm to the patient. It can occur at any stage of the healthcare process, from prescribing to administration, and involves professionals, patients, and consumers. Medication errors in the healthcare system involve several groups. Prescription, preparation, and administration of pharmaceuticals are the responsibility of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals. Patients also have an essential role in misinterpreting drug instructions, insufficient medical history disclosure, or difficulty adhering to complex prescription schedules.

NHS FPX 4000 Assessment 4 Analyzing a Current Health Care Problem or Issue

Various contributory human factors cause medication errors (MEs) in hospital pharmacies. These factors include individual elements like fatigue and emotional stress, organizational aspects such as support systems and communication, task-related challenges like high workload during specific shifts, and team dynamics, including interprofessional communication. It is crucial to deal with these human factors for enhancing patient safety within the framework of hospital pharmacy settings. (Faraj et al., 2020).

Another study by Kuitunen et al. (2020) describes avoiding safety procedures for high-alert drugs, drug knowledge gaps, calculation errors, double-checking lapses, and LASA medication confusion as systemic causes of medication errors. Addressing these flaws and standardizing processes are critical for improving medicine safety during administration, prescribing, and preparation.

Discusses Potential Solutions for Medication Errors

Medication errors require a wide range of approaches a