Common Medication Errors and How to Avoid Them

Minor errors on the part of the medical staff can lead to grievous results for general people. These errors can stem at any point in the medical journey, from recommending a particular drug to its administration. Regulatory bodies have implemented various guidelines in the face of the seriousness of the issue. Today, we will take a look at the most common causes of medication errors and the ways to avoid them:

Causes Of Medication Errors

• Improper storage conditions or faulty preparation mechanisms can cause a deterioration in product quality. 
• Whenever we experience a health hazard, be it a fever or stomach ache, we seek the advice of medical experts who prescribe medications for a particular duration. However, prescribing them for a longer or shorter duration than what is ideal can lead to health problems.
• A medical expert might select bottles or syringes having incorrect strengths, and when combined, this can lead to fatal circumstances.
• A faulty rate of administration is standard for medications like infusions or IV push. It can lead to adverse drug reactions like vancomycin flushing syndrome or tachycardia.
• Incorrect dosage might take the shape of omitting, giving extra doses, overdosing, or underdosing. This can lead to mortality and morbidity problems. 
• Compounded medications are synonymous with incorrect preparation errors. In such cases, a specific reconstitution using a diluent is needed. If the medicine is not prepared correctly, it might alter its effect. 
• An incorrect form of dosage administration, such as extended-release or immediate release, can result in the patient receiving a faulty dosage.
• Often, patients might be allergic to a particular substance. If the medical specialist prescribes a medicine containing a known allergen, they must inform their patient. It is also their responsibility to check patients’ medical history charts. Doing otherwise can lead to adverse reactions. 
• Medical practitioners are expected to exercise complete attention while dealing with a patient. Being distracted while prescribing or administering a medicine can be fatal for the patient. There are countless cases of doctors making massive mistakes at the operation table. 
• Doctors are infamous for writing prescriptions featuring illegible writing. Patients often need help understanding the abbreviations & symbols, leading to improper dosage and, worse, having the wrong medicine altogether. 

Tips To Prevent Medication Errors

As a patient, if you are trying to purchase medicines based on a prescription, then it’s necessary to carry out due diligence. Often, medicines share similar names and come in alternative names to cater to multiple uses. If you have difficulty comprehending a prescription, contact the medical practitioner who prescribed it. If you cannot reach them, you can seek a pharmacist’s advice or look it up in any online medical directory. Doctors and other health experts are also advised to be particularly attentive while treating a patient, administering medicines, or writing down a prescription. 

Conclusion

Experiencing health hazards due to medication errors can be extremely painful for both the patient and their family. But if you ever find yourself in such a situation, seek the guidance of Dolan Dobrinsky Rosenblum Bluestein experts.