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Posted on: May 5, 2017 by Huntersure
In our last article in our series of posts regarding overcoming safety challenges in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, we will explore the issue of improper medication administration. In our previous post, we discussed how to prevent infections in these facilities, which is one of the leading causes of illness in seniors. Now, we will take a closer look at the types of medication errors for these residents and how to recognize and report these incidents. Even more importantly than sharing this information with your senior living facility clients, protect their operation with a Senior Living Facility Insurance program.
Lucian Leape and colleagues reported more than 15 types of medication errors: wrong dose, wrong choice, wrong drug, known allergy, missed dose, wrong time, wrong frequency, wrong technique, drug-drug interaction, wrong route, extra dose, failure to act on test, equipment failure, inadequate monitoring, preparation error, and other. Of the 130 errors for physicians, the majority were wrong dose, wrong choice of drug, and known allergy. Among the 126 nursing administration errors, the majority were associated with wrong dose, wrong technique, and wrong drug. Each type of error was found to occur at various stages, though some more often during the ordering and administration stages, says NCBI.
To prevent these errors, all medications should be clearly labeled with side effects and dosage information and indicate warnings, the information about the drug, how it should be administered, and how often. All employees should be thoroughly trained on how to be vigilant when it comes to medication administration.
Without procedures in place, reporting errors is not as common. The following ways can be used to identify and report medication administration errors:
There is no single answer to minimize and eliminate medication administration errors. As they stem from various errors and levels of expertise, it can be a challenge to pinpoint the root of the issue. However, with the proper labeling, training, and identification/reporting procedures, your clients can minimize their liability and ensure their residents are well taken care of.
At Huntersure, we specialize in providing quality Residential Care Facility insurance programs to respond to each of these areas, designed to safeguard these facilities and their staff from financial loss. Our Residential Care Facility Liability insurance is designed to help protect care facilities and providers from a number of exposures, including allegations of mistreatment, neglect, and wrongdoing. To learn more about our operation as well as our allied healthcare insurance programs, contact us today at (646) 751-3030.
Posted in: blog Residential Care Facility