Evidence Based Practice

Running head: EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICE 1

Evidence based practice: Approaches to Reduce Medication Errors

Name

Institution

EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICE 2

Evidence based practice: Approaches to Reduce Medication Errors

Background of the Problem

The quality of patient care services is a critical factor that enhances the growth of the

nursing profession and the improvement of health provision. Numerous risk factors arise in the

health sector that hinders the effective provision of caregiver attention to patients in different

situations. One of the key challenges is medication related errors that are often experienced in the

hospitals. Medication errors leads to serious economic and health implications including the

spread of hospital-acquired infections (Fleischmann, 2016). Therefore, the evidence-based

prevention policies play a crucial role in helping nurses to incorporate preventive measures in

their clinical practices. Recent statistics depict high levels of adverse events that face patients

who are admitted to hospitals (Schiff et al., 2015). The instances have had a significant effect on

the admitted patients and have led to the extension of hospital stay or also caused disabilities and

further infections to the victims after being discharged. Thus, obtaining efficient intervention

measures that can mitigate the spread and effects of the issues related to patient safety. The

integration of evidence-based practice in the enhancement of patient safety is indispensable since

the problem calls for adequate research on the current measures that will promote effectiveness.

Various studies have been contacted in this area recently that can be used as a premise for further

studies and empirical analysis of the problems to obtain fundamental solutions (Rashleigh-Rolls,

2016). This project is crucial because it aims at combatting one of the primary challenges in the

provision of clinical services and that is patient safety. The area is comprehensive of various

branches that include medication and administrative errors that hinder the safety of the

medication practice. Urgent intervention is required to reduce the medication errors that are

hazardous and poor communication processes among the nurses in practice that causes

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inefficiency in clinical practices by analyzing different studies in the respective areas and also

conducting surveys in the field.

Statement of the Problem

Patient safety issues have been on the rise in recently. The process of providing effective

care to patients and promoting recovery has become difficult because of various barriers that

undermine safety. Rashleigh-Rolls (2016) contents that the errors from medication has had an

outstanding effect on the levels of safety among patients. The medication process is

comprehensive of many aspects such as the dosage, prescription, and the maintenance of the

records. A recent study established that over 230 00 medication-related cases are reported in

Australia, which translates to over AU$1.2 spent on such issues every year (Roughead, Semple

& Sosenfeld, 2016). This finding implies that the situation is critical and needs urgent

intervention because the cost is high and the lives of the victims is at stake.

Medication errors have also been reported in an escalating trend. This problem can be

averted by health professionals easily, but the number of cases raised regarding the wrong

prescription and inappropriate medication is alarming. This malpractice endangers the patient’s

life since misinterpretation or wrong use of medical data can have adverse consequences. The

proliferation of information technology in the health sector is another factor that has increased

the instances of communication and related medical errors. Mistakes when handling the

equipment that was supposed to improve the healthcare system are rampant and also pose a

significant threat to patient safety. Therefore, intervention measures are required to enhance the

correction of such issues basing on the fact that problems associated with technology are

relatively new and are often unanticipated.

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The significance of the Problem

The highlighted problem has vital implications for clinical practice in various domains.

The enhancement of patient care regarding the safety of healthcare consumers is an issue of

utmost importance. Intervention using the evidence-based practice is possible to prevent the

mortalities and other adverse effects of the problem. A critical analysis of the problem is required

through a comprehensive field study and review of relevant literature to establish the most

suitable mitigation strategies. Obtaining fundamental solutions to the problem can be a

significant milestone in the enhancement of health services provision. The research is relevant to

the patients because it facilitates their safety and security and is also crucial to the health care

system because it also focuses on the security of the health practitioners and fosters good

relationships among the stakeholders in this field.

The premise of the Project

This project is a comprehensive analysis of the problem regarding patient safety and

security. This study focuses on the intervention measures for the prevention of medication errors.

Furthermore, the study will investigate workable strategies that the administrators in the health

sector can use to control the nursing practices to enhance effectiveness. The project is motivated

by the recent statistics that reveal a wide range of cases regarding the highlighted problems

which are in an increasing trend in the healthcare system. Therefore, the project aims at

analyzing the situation in the field and also establishing the proximate causes and intervention

strategies through a review of existing literature. The findings will help the nursing sector to

develop an effective framework that will be used to control the problem and enhance clinical

practices.

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Assumptions and Definitions

The research project will be based on practical analysis and various assumptions to

enhance effectiveness. The assumptions will help in the development of generalizations that will

be used to derive the integration measures. The following are the key assumptions for this

project:

The surveys will give the correct representation of the situation in the field so that the

evidence can be used to develop intervention strategies.

ii. The conditions of the participants will be a reflection of a significant percentage of

the other health institutions so that the solutions can be applied in a wide range of hospitals.

iii. The findings of previous studies conducted on topics that are relevant to the study

are accurate since their findings will be used to develop a theoretical framework to approach the

research project ("Identifying Assumptions and Limitations for Your Dissertation |

AcademicInfoCenter.com," 2018).

iv. The participants in the interviews will give honest information regardless of their

position.

Literature Review

Previous studies have analyzed issues relating to patient safety critically and generated

proximate causes of the increase in the instances of medication errors that have led to multiple

effects to the victims. According to Barnett et al. (2013), bloodstream infections in hospitals is a

leading cause of death and also contributes to an extended stay of patients in hospitals. The

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problem is caused by errors in practicing by the nurses in charge in the treatment centers. Their

findings indicated that most deaths in hospitals were associated with nosocomial infections that

also had a significant impact on the duration that the patients stayed in critical conditions. Prior

researchers have also identified that medication related errors affected patients in acute

conditions leading to mortalities and extended stay in hospitals. (Murni, Duke, Kinney, Daley,

& Soenarto, 2015). The hygiene standard of the caregivers is a probable cause of this instance

and also the quality of protective clothes that they use. The problem is critical and requires

workable intervention strategies to enhance the provision of quality health service. In their

analysis, Murni et al. (2015) observed that multifaceted interventions strategies are vital in

facilitating the reduction of hospital-acquired infections. Other notable measures include, proper

hygiene measures taken by both the patients and the clinical officers (Barnett et al., 2014),

isolation of some patients in the situations where the infections can be transmitted easily

(Cornejo-Juárez et al., 2015) and by adhering to standard precautions (Phu et al., 2016).

The use of evidence-based approaches to foster the development of administrative

reforms that can foster accuracy of the nurses is vital. Mehta et al. (2014) assert that evidence-

based practice is a primary commendation for clinicians that can have profound significance in

obtaining radical solutions for the medication errors that is a significant cause of fatalities.

Researchers have established a wide range of infections that originate in healthcare facilities and

are spread therein (Graves et al., 2012). Various intervention measures have also been found to

be suitable for particular situations. Some analysists propose the physical control such as proper

ventilation and regular cleaning among others. Other measures include washing hands to

enhance hygiene, protective clothing and implementing a system of surveillance (Hall &

Roussel, 2016). These strategies require a collaborative approach between different stakeholders

EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICE 7

in the healthcare system. The hospital management plays a crucial role in the implementation of

the physical controls and also ensuring that the directives of clinical practice are followed

promptly.

Medication errors are rampant in the health care system and increase the risks associated

with patient safety. Roughead, Semple and Sosenfeld (2016) conducted an in-depth analysis to

determine the extent of medication errors in Australia to determine the effects. The study

revealed that the problem of medication errors is widespread in hospitals of different levels in

Australia. A significant challenge is the rate of drug reactions among the patients that is

primarily caused by errors in the medication process. Technological factors that aimed at

reducing the risks have been found to be escalating the mistakes by health practitioners that are

more complex and difficult to handle. The computerization of medical order entry is one of the

risk factors that escalate the occurrence of errors in the processes of administering medication to

patients. The IT-related errors in the healthcare on the rise with recent statistics indicating over

one million recorded cases (Schiff et al., 2015). However, the study by Schiff et al. (2015) cited

that a system that can identify the recurring errors has been established. Also, some of the

technological systems are vulnerable to the mechanical and software problems that make them

prone to errors (Maaskant, 2015). Human factors also contribute to the errors which include the

ignorance of the medics and negligence of some of the protocols. Proper training, the servicing

of the equipment and constant monitoring and testing of the technological systems are some of

the profound measures that can facilitate long-term solutions.

It is evident that intervention measures are required to enhance the current levels of

patient safety. Physical and technological barriers increase the risks of infections among the

patients and the medication errors by medical practitioners. It is observed that these instances

EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICE 8

increase mortality rates and require evidence-based intervention strategies to combat them

(Nanji, Patel, Shaikh, Seger, & Bates, 2016). Nosocomial infections are common in patients in

the intensive care unit and is a primary factor that causes death and prolonged stay in hospitals.

Nursing practitioners should follow the guidelines of the clinical practices is prudent since most

of the risk factors can be averted by this means. Also, the problems analyzed different in

magnitude and thus different approaches can be relevant. Besides, conducting empirical studies

in the practical settings to establish evidence-based interventions is a significant measure (Raban,

& Westbrook, 2014). The above literature illustrates some problems that have been discovered

through the studies conducted in the field and also proposed strategies to solve the challenges.

However, the statistics provided depict loopholes that give room for further studies to establish

more profound measures.

Outline of the Project Procedure and the Use of Appropriate Improvement Approach

The project will use both the qualitative and quantitative approaches to obtain

comprehensive data that will give insight into the intervention measures. The analysis will target

clinical practitioners and patients in different ends to determine their conduct in the hospital

setting. Furthermore, the project will establish the more profound protective strategies that can

foster improvement. The procedure will include surveys, interviews and a critical analysis of

secondary and primary data. The findings will be analyzed and evaluated to reach an accurate

conclusion. The integration of the recommendations to the health care system is also an objective

of the project. The findings will have critical measures that can improve the entire health care

system and prevent the risks associated with patient safety.

EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICE 9

The analysis seeks to find substantial evidence that links the problems and solution facing

the provision of healthcare services. The conduct of medical officers is a critical factor that

should be analyzed (Blease, Lilienfeld & Kelley, 2016). This project aims at establishing a

system of preventive measures that will be developed through an effective framework that aligns

with the mitigation strategies in the literature review. For instance, a comprehensive system of

attendance and verification should be established such that at least two nurses work together at

any given time to verify the prescriptions and any data that is transfered (Derde et al., 2015).

This can be achieved through a series of checks that will be conducted regularly in the hospitals.

Compulsory procedures should be implemented so that the clinical officers in charge can adhere

to them regarding the preservation of patient records and also the prescription to patients

(Luangasanatip et al., 2015)). All medical practitioners who handle equipment will be trained on

the most recent IT strategies, and the process will be offered regularly as in-service education

(Kalil et al., 2016). The project also aims at developing software that will detect entry errors that

lead to inappropriate medication. Providing the clinical workers with sufficient knowledge about

the intervention measures is a crucial aspect that is central to this project. Therefore, the

evidence-based practice is likely to give the expected results.

Conclusion

The research results will be analyzed and transferred to the application sites where the

strategies will be implemented. The evidenced-based measures will help the clinical officers to

enhance their practices so that the administrative practices will be modified to support accuracy

in practice. Besides, the adoption of the evidence-based practice strategies will monitor the

quality of service delivery by the clinical officers by controlling the problem of medication errors

(Dancer, 2014). The improvements will be a significant boost to the entire health sector and will

EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICE 10

also pave the way for more analytical studies that will produce more evidence-based practices

that will facilitate effectiveness in healthcare provision.

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References

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hospital-acquired bloodstream infections: a case–control study. BMJ open, 3(10),

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Blease, C. R., Lilienfeld, S. O., & Kelley, J. M. (2016). Evidence-based practice and

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acquired infections and improving the rational use of antibiotics in a developing country:

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