Medications errros

Medication Errors In medical practice, errors committed by the career nurses, doctors, or any party working in this field may be detrimental to human life. Since the medical career involves handling human life, emphasis on protecting these lives is a central aspect taught in medical colleges and practiced within the medical institutions. Various bodies dealing matters of human health have set standards on how handle patients as well as defining the safety procedures. While medical professional tend to observe utmost safety procedures, some medical errors may occur during practice.
Medical Errors
Available literature about medical errors states that emergency department often faces the challenge of medical errors. The intensity of the work conducted in the emergency department is one of the factors that may lead to medical errors. Emergency department is prone to medical errors because of the involvement of the individual medical practitioners . The influx pattern in the emergency department is another factor that influences the number or errors committed in this department. Some arguments about medical errors committed in the emergency department attest to the fact that medical professionals attending to patients on the emergency department often feel bored because of the inconsistent number of patients that the department receives.
Medical professionals may spend extra time attending to emergency cases. This may influence their concentration ability when attending to the other patients.
According to renowned scholar Norman, human beings always err (Schenkel, 2000). Thus, by considering this fact in mind, the medical professionals should be extra vigilant when handling patients. Medical errors such as wrong prescriptions are avoidable if the medical professional pays more attention to the patients. Other errors include over dosage, application of wrong procedures when handling a casualty, excessive and x-ray penetrations among others.
Preventions and Safety
The renowned scholar Norman developed a four point, which he believed the medical professionals should observe.
First, is to understand the source of the error and develop means of avoiding the causes of errors. Second, create a possibility to undo actions. Third, create an environment, which may lead to tracing of the errors. Fourth, change the trends about errors (Schenkel, 2000).
Critics argue that training is essential in eliminating some of the errors committed by medical professionals. Written report, for instance is important when handling a patients. Doctors or nurses may use the written document to identify the requirement of the patient. Personal responsibility is essential in defining the number of errors committed. By exercising care when handling a patient, errors arising from negligence would be avoidable.
The safety of the patients is very essential. When handling patients, for instance, safety procedures should always ring on the mind of the medical professional. The understanding of the patient’s problem is vital in limiting a number of problems affecting the patients. Recent research indicates that reliance on computers and other medical facility helps in improving the safety of the patient (Schenkel, 2000). Reviewing the existing procedures limits the possibility of committing errors or risking the safety of the patient. Attempts aimed at developing efficient methods of handling patients seems to be effective in reducing number of safety cases. In conclusion, medical errors, safety, and precaution are concepts that dictate the success of the medical career. In spite of the human nature, most of the errors committed in medical practice are avoidable. Medical professionals can reduce the number errors by exercising utmost responsibility when handling patients.
References
Schenkel, S. (2000). Promoting Patient Safety and Preventing Medical Error in Emergency Departments. Retrieved on 22 Feb 2012 from http://deepblue. lib. umich. edu/bitstream/handle/2027. 42/74930/j. 1553-2712. 2000. tb00466. x. pdf; jsessionid= 319664CB9219A75DA2AE34B0EDEA0072? sequence= 1