Reducing dose omission of prescribed medications in the hospital setting: a narrative review

© 2016, Springer International Publishing Switzerland.Medication error, including dose omission of prescribed medications, can lead to adverse outcomes for hospital patients. Consequently, there is an onus on healthcare staff to understand the causes of these errors and introduce proven methods to p...

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Main Authors: Morley, C., McLeod, E., McKenzie, D., Ford, K., Walsh, K., Stafford, Leanne, Gordon-Croal, S., Bayer, G., Peterson, G.
Format: Journal Article
Published: 2016
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/58177
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author Morley, C.
McLeod, E.
McKenzie, D.
Ford, K.
Walsh, K.
Stafford, Leanne
Gordon-Croal, S.
Bayer, G.
Peterson, G.
author_facet Morley, C.
McLeod, E.
McKenzie, D.
Ford, K.
Walsh, K.
Stafford, Leanne
Gordon-Croal, S.
Bayer, G.
Peterson, G.
author_sort Morley, C.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description © 2016, Springer International Publishing Switzerland.Medication error, including dose omission of prescribed medications, can lead to adverse outcomes for hospital patients. Consequently, there is an onus on healthcare staff to understand the causes of these errors and introduce proven methods to prevent their recurrence. This paper presents a review of the literature on the reported causes of, and suggested solutions to, omitted administration of prescribed medications in hospital inpatient settings. Dose omission of prescribed medication has been shown to be one of the commonest causes of medication error in inpatient populations. Unavailable medication, poor communication and poor documentation of administered medications are commonly cited explanations. Institutions have implemented strategies, which have been shown to reduce the incidence of omissions. Such strategies include changing pharmacy processes to ensure medication is available when required; introducing electronic prescribing; encouraging improved communication between healthcare professionals involved in medication management; and educating staff about the importance of administering all prescribed medications, documenting when medications are administered and reporting all medication omissions.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-581772017-11-24T05:46:23Z Reducing dose omission of prescribed medications in the hospital setting: a narrative review Morley, C. McLeod, E. McKenzie, D. Ford, K. Walsh, K. Stafford, Leanne Gordon-Croal, S. Bayer, G. Peterson, G. © 2016, Springer International Publishing Switzerland.Medication error, including dose omission of prescribed medications, can lead to adverse outcomes for hospital patients. Consequently, there is an onus on healthcare staff to understand the causes of these errors and introduce proven methods to prevent their recurrence. This paper presents a review of the literature on the reported causes of, and suggested solutions to, omitted administration of prescribed medications in hospital inpatient settings. Dose omission of prescribed medication has been shown to be one of the commonest causes of medication error in inpatient populations. Unavailable medication, poor communication and poor documentation of administered medications are commonly cited explanations. Institutions have implemented strategies, which have been shown to reduce the incidence of omissions. Such strategies include changing pharmacy processes to ensure medication is available when required; introducing electronic prescribing; encouraging improved communication between healthcare professionals involved in medication management; and educating staff about the importance of administering all prescribed medications, documenting when medications are administered and reporting all medication omissions. 2016 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/58177 10.1007/s40267-016-0289-2 restricted
spellingShingle Morley, C.
McLeod, E.
McKenzie, D.
Ford, K.
Walsh, K.
Stafford, Leanne
Gordon-Croal, S.
Bayer, G.
Peterson, G.
Reducing dose omission of prescribed medications in the hospital setting: a narrative review
title Reducing dose omission of prescribed medications in the hospital setting: a narrative review
title_full Reducing dose omission of prescribed medications in the hospital setting: a narrative review
title_fullStr Reducing dose omission of prescribed medications in the hospital setting: a narrative review
title_full_unstemmed Reducing dose omission of prescribed medications in the hospital setting: a narrative review
title_short Reducing dose omission of prescribed medications in the hospital setting: a narrative review
title_sort reducing dose omission of prescribed medications in the hospital setting: a narrative review
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/58177