There are different evidence-based methods to reduce medication errors in a given healthcare setting. According to Mieiro et al. (2019), implementation of the decision-support system or Electronic Health Records (EHR) at the healthcare institution was an evidence-based practice for mitigating the medication error and ultimately improving patient safety. Best practices for improving patient safety was also possible through the mitigation of the medication-related errors (Jordan et al., 2019). The research also presented that using a standard protocol and practice through workflow changes and processing was the best practice for mitigating medication errors (Mieiro et al., 2019).
Along with these best practices, educational strategies like explanatory manuals, training sessions, and campaigns were proposed as evidence-based practices by the research to reduce medication-related errors (Craig et al., 2020). Eliminating adverse drug events related to medication administration significantly reduces healthcare costs by removing the costs related to readmissions, hospital stays, and legal penalties (Jordan et al., 2019). Therefore, MGH should adopt provided evidence-based practices to address the issue of medication errors while treating patients with CKD or any other chronic illness.
Nurses are the primary stakeholders of care in any healthcare institution. Therefore, the role of nurses is very important when providing patients with coordinated care. Implementing best and evidenced practices can only be beneficial if the nurses are trained to adopt these practices (Mathieson et al., 2019). For example, implementing decision support or EHR at MGH can only be successful if Betty or other nurse colleagues can use this system. The role of nurses is significantly important in eliminating medication errors and improving the corresponding patient safety, according to Jordan et al. (2019).
It has also been evaluated that the role of nurses is significantly important while providing coordinated care (Mathieson et al., 2019). For example, nurses must read the prescriptions from physical or online systems at the institution. The lack of training, medical literacy, or knowledge can lead to the wrong interpretation of medication prescribed to a patient resulting in medication errors (Khan & Tidman, 2022). Therefore, the educational strategies provided as best practices need to be implemented at MGH to avoid overdosage or relative medication administration issues. Nurses hence, play an important role in patient safety as they are responsible for providing coordinated care.
Trained and well-experienced nurses are less likely to make errors during drug administration to patients, which reduces healthcare costs (Mieiro et al., 2019). The reduction in medication errors causes a decrease in patient safety compromises at the institution. For example, in case of a medication error, the hospital will either admit the patient for a longer time without any charges or pay legal fines if reported (Phillips et al., 2019). Similarly, the increased medication errors cause an increase in the overall cost of care per patient, causing losses and performance gaps in healthcare organizations like MGH.
There are different stakeholders that nurses collaborate with to ensure the quality of care, coordination of care, and reduction in medication errors. The first is prescribers, physicians, psychologists, or orthopedics (Dionisi et al., 2021). The familiar handwritings are easy to read. The prescription written by any of the mentioned stakeholders can only be interpreted accurately by nurses if they have effectively coordinated with them (Mieiro et al., 2019). Similarly, medication administration is reduced by the clear handwriting of prescribers or EHR. Therefore, nurses need to collaborate with the prescribers regularly to take an update on the medication schedule and other information related to patient medication (Hutchinson et al., 2020). The nurses collaborate with patients by communicating with them or knowing about their medical condition to provide better care for them in correspondence with the other interprofessional team members. The other stakeholders with which nurses collaborate include pharmacists, members of interprofessional or interdisciplinary teams, and patient families. Collaboration with these stakeholders is important as it allows nurses to provide coordinated care to patients with minimum medication administration errors (Dilles et al., 2021).
Patient families are the most important stakeholders as they provide information about patients’ undocumented behavior, allergies, or other medical conditions that can improve medication prescription and overall
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