Medication Error Prevention Training: 30+ Best Practices to Minimize the Risk of Making a Life-Threatening Mistake – Rachel Cartwright-Vanzant

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A seasoned nurse had drawn up the right dose of a drug hundreds of times in her career.

But once…she made a life-changing error. A patient died, she was suspended and then fired from a profession she loves.

Patient safety is a sacred bond. For nurses, keeping patients safe is the top priority. But long shifts, high acuities, confusing dosing calculations, an ever-changing list of drug interactions, and similar drug names create an environment where even the most competent clinician can make a serious medication mistake.

Are you confident that you have the tools you need to avoid making a headline error?

This recording will give you all the resources you need to fulfill this critical aspect of your job and dramatically reduce your risk of making a life-changing error. Join Rachel Cartwright-Vanzant as she shares with you what she has learned working with the Board of Nursing in five states, consulting and educating nurses who have received corrective action and suspension related to their medication errors!

1. Compare the major categories of adverse drug events (ADEs).
2. Evaluate the barriers to and benefits of reporting ADEs.
3. Solve medication dosage calculations.
4. Analyze actual medication errors to avoid the pitfalls.
5. Demonstrate how available tools and strategies can assist with error prevention and safe medication use.
6. Develop new skills to predict high risk medication error scenarios.

Through the teachings of real-life scenarios, expert Rachel Cartwright-Vanzant, Ph.D., MS, LHRM, CCRN-K, will walk you step-by-step through the following topics to transform your nursing practice.

Insights from a Legal Nurse Consultant

• What the current data says…will amaze you!
• Consequences of unsafe practice
  • Patient injury or death
  • Loss of trust
  • Corrective action – Understanding what that means
  • Suspended license
  • Loss of license
  • Litigation
• Types of Medication Errors
  • Commission
  • Omission

Med Error Contributors: Identify Safety Precautions for YOUR Practice

• Ineffective communication
• Experience level – Beginner vs. expert
• Interruptions and distractions
• Shift length, patient acuity, and workload
• Systems errors: Lack of safety nets
• Similar drug names
• Failure to follow policies or guidelines
  • Taking short cuts
  • Ordering: Electronic, written, verbal
  • Order processing: Pharmacy review
  • Beyond the 8 Rights of Medication Administration
• Review actual cases of medication errors: What went wrong?

Drug Calculation Errors: A Deadly Mistake!

• Common errors and how to avoid them
  • Mathematical calculations
  • Metric vs. imperial systems
  • Units of measure and conversions
• Tools and policies to avoid making math errors
• The tragic and deadly stories…

Identify the Greatest Risk Potential for Errors

• High risk medications – Insulins, opioids, anticoagulants, etc.
• Drip titration
• Predict high risk patients for adverse reactions
• Must-know insights on reversal agents

Reporting ADEs

• Barriers to reporting
• Internal reporting system
  • Just Culture
  • Professional accountability
  • Incident reports – learning from past experiences

Minimize the Risk of Making a Life-Threatening Mistake: Individual and Systems Approaches

• Time management tools
• Think critically
• Facility safety nets
• Electronic tools
• Use the safety tools available
  • Institute for Healthcare Improvement
  • Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
  • Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP)
• Be a STAR! An easy philosophy to guide your safe, medication administration practice