Posted: September 11th, 2024

Medical Errors Papers

Medical Errors.

A medical error is a preventable medical mistake in the treatment process that can harm the patient. These errors can range from minor oversights to life-threatening mistakes, highlighting the critical importance of vigilance in healthcare settings. A recent study showed that after strokes, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes, medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States. This alarming statistic underscores the urgent need for systemic improvements in patient safety protocols across all healthcare institutions. In every seven patients visiting the hospital daily, one is a victim of medical error. This frequency of occurrence emphasizes the pervasive nature of the problem and the potential for widespread impact on patient outcomes.

Medical errors are prevalent in any medical setting, including clinics, surgeries, pharmacies, laboratories, among others. The ubiquity of these errors across various healthcare environments suggests that a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach is necessary to address this issue effectively. Medical errors are often viewed as avoidable human errors in healthcare. This perspective, while partially accurate, may oversimplify a complex issue that requires nuanced understanding and solutions. The subject is, however, quite complicated, and causes are related to a range of different factors, including lack of experience, incompetency, communication barriers, negligence, illegible handwriting, fatigue from overworking, just to name a few. Recent research has also identified systemic issues, such as inadequate staffing and poor organizational culture, as significant contributors to medical errors (Aryankhesal et al., 2023).

There a dozen types of medical errors ranging from medication errors, prescription errors, misdiagnosis, delays in receiving treatment, surgical, and other mishaps. Each type of error presents unique challenges and requires tailored strategies for prevention and mitigation.

• Medication Errors

Medication errors are the most common mistakes in the treatment process. These errors can occur at any stage of medication management, from prescribing to administration, making them particularly challenging to eliminate entirely. They involve giving wrong medication in incorrect dose combinations to the wrong patients. Such mistakes can have consequences ranging from mild discomfort to severe health complications, depending on the medication and the patient’s condition. Errors may also entail giving a number of drugs to the same patients without double-checking the instructions and interactions that the meds may have when taken together. This highlights the importance of thorough medication reconciliation and the potential benefits of electronic prescribing systems. Studies show that medical errors affect an average of 1.5 million people each year. This staggering number emphasizes the scale of the problem and the potential for widespread improvement in patient safety. Healthcare facilities have put different measures in an effort to minimize cases of medication errors. These measures often involve a combination of technological solutions and improved training and protocols for healthcare providers. For instance, scanning a patient’s wristbands to match their prescribed medications has gone a long way in reducing cases of medication mistakes. Such technological interventions, when combined with human vigilance, can significantly enhance patient safety.

• Prescription errors

Prescription errors are also quite common. These errors can occur due to various factors, including illegible handwriting, confusion between similarly named drugs, or miscommunication between healthcare providers. Most prescription errors result in no harm or short-term low to moderate effects on the patient. However, this does not diminish the importance of addressing these errors, as even minor mistakes can erode patient trust in the healthcare system. However, some can be fatal with severe consequences that can result in death. The potential for such severe outcomes underscores the critical nature of accurate prescribing practices. They occur when a physician or healthcare personnel writes a dose of a higher or lower magnitude. Such dosage errors can be particularly dangerous for medications with narrow therapeutic windows. It can also happen when the physician gives wrong instructions or failing to mention relevant information about the drugs. Clear communication and patient education are crucial in preventing these types of errors.

• Misdiagnosis

Diagnostic mistakes are quite rare. However, their rarity does not diminish their potential for serious harm, as an incorrect diagnosis can lead to a cascade of inappropriate treatments. Misdiagnosing a patient is still possible. When someone is misdiagnosed, they are also treated with the wrong medications. This double error – misdiagnosis followed by inappropriate treatment – can have particularly severe consequences for the patient.

Delayed treatment

Delays in treatment often have serious impacts. The time-sensitive nature of many medical conditions means that prompt diagnosis and treatment are often crucial for optimal outcomes. It can either result in lifetime defects such as irreversible disabilities or even death. The potential for such severe consequences highlights the importance of efficient triage and treatment protocols in healthcare settings. For instance, if a stroke patient is not given immediate medical attention, it can result in permanent partial or complete body paralysis. This example illustrates how critical timely intervention can be in certain medical emergencies.

Human is to error, while medication errors cannot be eliminated, they can be reduced. This acknowledgment of human fallibility is an important step in creating a culture of safety that focuses on system improvements rather than individual blame. The first important step is to detect them since minor errors in the system can have serious consequences. Implementing robust error detection systems, including both technological solutions and human oversight, is crucial in this regard. Reporting should also be encouraged by availing a blame-free environment where people can bring forward cases of medication errors without fear of being reprimanded or punished. This approach, known as a “just culture,” has been shown to improve error reporting and facilitate learning from mistakes (Ta’an et al., 2024).

Recent research has highlighted the potential of digital health systems in reducing medication errors. A study by Engstrom et al. (2023) found that the transition to a digital hospital was associated with reductions in voluntarily reported medication incidents and prescribing errors. This suggests that technological advancements, when properly implemented, can play a significant role in enhancing patient safety.

Furthermore, a study by Liu et al. (2024) emphasized the importance of considering patient demographics, particularly age, in understanding and preventing medical errors. Their research on orthopaedic patients revealed differences in the types and consequences of medical errors across different age groups, highlighting the need for age-specific safety protocols.

References:
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Aryankhesal, A., Mohammadibakhsh, R., Hamidi, Y., Alidoost, S., Behzadifar, M., Sohrabi, R., & Farhadi, Z. (2023). Recurrence of medical errors despite years of preventive efforts: A qualitative study in Iran. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 12, 1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10670954/

Ta’an, W., Suliman, M., Aldiqs, M., & Al-Hammouri, M. M. (2024). Medical Error Prevalence, Nursing Power, and Structural Empowerment in Jordanian Hospitals: A Cross-Sectional Study. Nursing Reports, 14(1), 80-89. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/2024/1554373

Engstrom, T., Grafton-Clarke, C., Huynh, C., Banerjee, A., Woodcock, T., & Barber, N. (2023). The impact of transition to a digital hospital on medication incidents and prescribing errors: an interrupted time series analysis. npj Digital Medicine, 6(1), 1-8. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41746-023-00877-w

Liu, P., Zhang, J., Zhang, Y., Wang, Y., Zhang, X., & Zhao, Y. (2024). Medical errors, affected sites, and adverse consequences in orthopaedic patients of different ages: A retrospective study. Frontiers in Public Health, 12. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1306215/full

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Tags: Healthcare quality improvement, Medical Errors, Medication Safety, patient safety