Intercepts Related Tomedication Management

Question: Discuss about the Intercepts Related Tomedication Management. Answer: Introduction In my practice as a nurse, certain situations may arise whereby the patients medication may have some errors and therefore endanger the patients life. It is my responsibility to identify and respond to these errors appropriately for the sake of the patients safety as I continue to develop my professional practice (Healy 2016). This paper focuses on instances that will occur related to medication management in addition to the extrinsic and intrinsic factors that contribute to these occurrences in reference to the relevant literature. The paper will also look at the evidence-based intervention from the Australian commission on Quality and Safety in Healthcare Medication Safety standard. In addition, the paper will include the impact these three incidences will have on my practice. In a case whereby the medication charts are not legible and legal, the patient might end up being given the wrong medication. For example, if the chart is not legible I might give the patient a drug with a similar name to the intended one which will impact the patients health. For example medication like primidone can be mistaken with prednisone if the medication chart is not legible. An intrinsic factor, in this case, is the individuals knowledge of the particular condition. As a nurse, proper knowledge of a disease would enable me to know exactly what the intended medication was in order to avoid any errors (Brady, Malone, and Fleming 2013). It is important to have basic knowledge of the various medications that are administered for specific conditions. Extrinsic factor that, may contribute to the situation is the communication between the professionals handling the patient. Communication between the doctor, the pharmacists and the nurse about the patients condition will enable the identification of any inconsistencies between the medication written on the chart and the patients condition (Manias, Aitken, and Dunning 2014). The evidence-based action from the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare Medication Safety standard which supports the use of procedures and protocols that ensure legal and professional standards is action 4.1.2. In such a situation, using standardized records would reduce any risk of such a situation occurring (Altranais 2014). Even for a nurse who is new, it would be easier to know exactly what the medication is. Therefore, it is important to maintain constant communication between the pharmacist, the nurse, and the doctor handling the patient to avoid confusions in drug descriptions and dosages. In the case of managing the drugs ordered and the patients allergies, it is important that I look at the patients records and history. This will enable me to make a comparison between the drugs administered and the patients records to determine if there are any risks that may occur. For example, a patient might have a prescription of medication that contains Sulphur while they are allergic to this. Knowing the patient's history and the drugs ordered will eliminate this risk (Hewittand Latimer 2015) Intrinsic factor that may influence such a situation includes stress and lack of motivation. In a situation where the nurse is under a lot of stress due to the need to attend to many patients, the nurse may not thoroughly assess the patients records and hence fail to recognize any of the patients allergies. Motivation would make nurse to critically analyze and detect any allergies associated with the medication ordered. Extrinsic factors may include communication of the patients allergies in their medication charts. This will ensure clear communication between the doctor prescribing the medication and the nurse administering the medication (Allen and Ansel 2013) According to the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare Medication Safety standard, action 4.6.1 would be a helpful intervention in such a case. Action 4.6.1 states that the best possible medical history for each patient is documented. It is important to implement a formal and methodical process that will ensure the accurate documentation of the current medical histories of the patients (ACSQHC 2011). A record of the patients medical history on a standardized form would also reduce medical related risks in such a case. Therefore, it important for health providers to maintain the medical history of their patients in order to make a comparison of the drugs that have been administered in order to minimize the risk that may be involved in the use of a given medicine. Medical Intervention 3 A third case would be if the medical officer has ordered the correct drug and dose. In certain cases, the medical officer may administer doses that are below or above the required doses. At other times the drugs administered may not be the correct ones that were prescribed. Such a case could occur when the patients dose or drug has been changed. The intrinsic factors involved in this case include the nurses individual commitment. The nurse is required to be committed to accurately looking up any unfamiliar medications and seeking clarification from the medical officer. Extrinsic factors that may be related to such a case include communication. If the original prescription and dosage has been changed, then it is important to have a clear documentation in the patient's case notes that shows exactly what the drugs are and the doses required (Hussain and Kao 2015) An evidence-based intervention for a case like this from the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare Medication Safety standard would be action 4.1.2. This action recommends the use of standardized guidelines when giving medications to the patients. The guidelines recommended include the rights of administration of medicine and protocols that ensure safe prescription (ACSQHC 2011). This will ensure safe administration of medicine and protocols that ensure safety when prescribing medication. By being able to intercept such cases, my practice would be able to change and improve. These cases would have given me the awareness of the possible problems that are likely to occur while administering medication. Therefore, this will heighten my awareness and vigilance in utilizing effective medication risk reducing strategies. These cases have also enabled me to see the importance of prioritizing medication related tasks for each patient and focusing on them thoroughly. In conclusion, the paper has focused on the instances that relate to the medication management and the intrinsic or extrinsic factors that contribute to errors in medication. The paper also identified the interventions based on the Commission that ensures Quality and Safe healthcare in Australia. However, as a qualified health provider, it is my duty and responsibility to identify and respond to quality issues that relate to medication to safeguard the safety of the patient. In order to achieve this, a practicing nurse should maintain legal and legible medication charts to protect patients from receiving wrong medication. Therefore, the most important intrinsic factor is to have individual knowledge of the patient needs. 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