Adverse Drug Events and Medication Errors Free Essay Example, 750 words

Medical errors have commonly occurred in relation to the wrong dosage of a drug aimed at treating a patient s condition. While the medication provided for treatment of various conditions commonly has a positive reaction in the management of the condition, the wrong dosage could have adverse effects on the patient. Drug management and administration remain an important nursing skill aimed at ensuring that medical errors related to the wrong dosage are minimized in practice (Kopp et. al., 2006). Wrong dosage can occur as a result of prescribing the wrong medication through the confusion, or administering wrong quantities of a drug. The latter remains the most common medical error of the wrong dosage because of the actions involved in the preparation of drugs through mixing or measuring the quantities (Fanikos et al, 2004). In the case of low quantity, the effectiveness of the drug is the problem. Higher dosages commonly present adverse effects on a patient. In the case described here, the nurse administered a high IV bolus dosage of heparin to a patient. Heparin is an anticoagulant drug that is administered to prevent the formation of blood clots in patients with various medical conditions. We will write a custom essay sample on Adverse Drug Events and Medication Errors or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page