PREVENTING

MEDICAL ERRORS
Speaker:
Daniel B. Garcia Jr., RN


The primary goal of the Joint
Commission is to improve the
safety of using medications.
COMMON PROBLEMS

LASA
Drugs that are LOOK-ALIKE
and SOUND ALIKE are
continued to be marketed.
COMMON PROBLEMS
Some prescriptions are written with
brand names and others with generic.

Generic names are similar to the
brand names of the other drug.
COMMON PROBLEMS

Improper storage of
medications and labeling.
PREVENTING MEDICAL ERRORS
1. Compliance to DO-NOT-USE
Restrictions.
The nurse is not responsible for
monitoring the behavior of
prescribers or for correcting them.
But nurses should report failure to
comply to nursing administration.
DO NOT USE PROBLEM WRITE
IU Maybe read as
IV or 10
International
Unit
x.Omg Trailing
Zero
.xmg no leading
zero
Decimals points
are often
missed or
misread
X mg
o.xmg
MS
MSO4, MgSO4
Can mean
morphine
sulfate or
magnesium
sulfate
Morhpine
Sulfate
Magnesuim
Sulfate
2. Follow the 10 Rights of Medication
Administration
-Utilize correct procedures for T.O.
V.O such as read back.
- Verify pediatric doses.
-read the label every time a medication
is accessed and prior to
administration.
3. Wrong Routes

- IM- SC = maybe local irritation or
problems in absorption
- Oral Medications to Intrevenous line
PREVENTIONS
1. Advise the patient and SO to never
connect and disconnect devices.
2. Color Code or Clearly Label all high
risk catheters.
3. Never use Luer-Connection
syringes/devices for oral
administration.
COMMON ERRORS RECOMMENDATION
1. Drug IV/Fluid
Incompatibility
Charts with IV/Drug
Incompatibility must
be available for the
nursing staff.