Nursing Errors and Moving On A mistake can be critical for a nurse, and they do happen. It can end a career; however, this is rare. The fact is as long as nurses remain human, errors will occasionally occur. We must face them, and they get over them to continue on in their career. Common Errors As one might suspect, the most common nursing error involves dispensing the wrong medication. One way this can happen is by administering it to the wrong patient. Nurses are often pressed for time, and may have multiple patients they are caring for. It’s not terribly surprising that on occasion a medication is given to the wrong patient. A nurse at a large hospital had an impeccable reputation. She had been a nurse for 20 years, and was named nurse of the year on more than one occasion. She worked in ICU one night when it was very busy and understaffed. The nurse had two patients in room’s right next to one another. One was a 55-year-old with pneumonia, while the other was a 58year-old with a heart condition. The nurse accidently administered the heart drug, and ata rapid drip to the patient with pneumonia, thinking it was an antibiotic. The patient passed within minutes. The nurse lost her career over what was a very serious error; however it was just that, an error. This is an example of what can occur under busy and stressful situations. When things are busy, or you happen to be short staffed, it is very important to continue to maintain time spent preparing medications and performing procedures. It may mean patients have to wait, and it may involve you working late, however it also may prevent a critical mistake. Many methods have been put in place over the years to prevent errors with medications. Many medical centers now have patient ID’s on bracelets that are scanned and matched to medications. Regardless, medications errors are still possible, and do still happen. Related: International Nurses Association - Benefits to BSN Infection Control Infections are a problem in most medical facilities. They can occur with any opening into the skin, and a hospital certainly has a massive supply of bacteria to go around. Currently infections occurring in U.S. hospitals account for 100,000 deaths per year. The number one defense against creating an infection is hygiene. Not only proper hand washing, but
ensuring you do not have long sleeves that can harbor bacteria and transmit from one patient to another. Always use proper aseptic techniques, cleaning and disinfection procedures, and practice all you learned in infection prevention training. Documentation Errors With computers and tablets becoming the normal in charting, it seems to be a great addition to the medical community. It saves time, and makes everything easier; however there is learning to doing things in an entirely new way. Also, reality, fingers can slip, delete keys can be tapped, errors can occur in this method as well. The best way to ensure proper documentation is to take your time with entering information. Next go back and read over what you just entered. Then, as your shift is ending, go back and read one more time to make sure what you are entering. Check, check, and re-check. Some hospitals have a buddy system with charting, and a coworker checks what you entered, however even in this case, double check yourself. Related: Is There a Cure for the Common Cold? Obtaining Proper Health Information It really is vital to obtain the medical history from a patient. If they do not currently have records available in the system, they must provide you with details. The patient may be not feeling well, or on medication, but it is critical to get needed medical history. Patients may have allergies that could be fatal, or be on medications that can cause adverse reactions. If the patient is not forthcoming with medical information, you will have to probe and engage until you feel secure you have all needed detailed medical history. These are some of the most common errors reported by nurses. So, what happens when one occurs? Be honest and admit your mistake right away to the appropriate person. Document the incident, and be exact with what happened and led up to the mistake. In most cases it will be recorded and you move on, the first priority is to ensure the safety of the patient. Related: Highly Regarded Registered Nurse Laura K. Marecic, RN, will be Spotlighted in the Worldwide Leaders in Healthcare Please follow us on Facebook, Linkedin, Pinterest and Twitter