Prevention of Medical Errors in Adult Patients (Dissertation - Abstract Sample)

Prevention of Medical Errors in Adult Patients
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Prevention of Medical Errors in Adult Patients
ABSTRACT
Fundamental accounts in the Australian medical research reveal that around 60 percent of general populations use medical prescriptions with the number increasing to about 87 percent. Data collection performed on various individuals aged 65 years and over and 83 percent population over 85 years using various medications simultaneously. According to the research performed by 11 American surgical and medical units in a period of six months, rates of adverse drug events were 6.5 per every 100 admissions. The current medical reports assert that between two and three percent of all hospital admission in Australia may be medication related.
The Harvard Medical Practice study reveals that older Australians have higher levels of medical attentions and the greater possibility of being admitted to the hospitals. The medical reports from the hospital come from the gathered statistics in medication reporting incidents from the hospital. The medication errors encountered in hospitals in Australia are concerned about the prescription and medication ordering errors, medication recording and monitoring errors, administration, and dispensing errors. Factors leading to the errors in hospital environment are connected to the hospital environment and the individuals responsible for the activities causing the medication errors. Other necessary medication errors include dose errors, which are also very common among the medical practitioners.
Medication errors are always estimated to account for almost 7000 human deaths yearly in Australia. Also, to the rampant and severe standard deaths, the reduction of the medication error has been put into consideration. The reduction of the medication error can be solved by improving the standards of communication within the hospital environment. Continuous monitoring of errors providing the practitioners with adequate correct information tools is a method of controlling the disease. The medication error reduces by improving and standardizing medication labeling and giving strong medical drug-related information.
Following the increased reliance on medication therapy as a fundamental intervention for most illnesses, patients getting medical attentions are exposed to potential havoc and profits. The efficient management of diseases and illness is one of the basic benefits of the medical interventions. The prevention of spread or escalation of various diseases and illnesses is another factor motivating the benefits of medical intervention. Harm from the medications emanate from the unintentional errors and medical consequences such as the wrong dose, time, and medication. The inadequate proficient nursing education knowledge in patient’s safety and quality, flawed dispensing systems, fatigue, and excessive workload are some of the reasons leading to medical harms. The research reviews the medication safety about nursing practices to curb the medication errors in adult patients in Australia.
Background
Recent medical accounts reveal that general population of Australia applies medical prescription methods to counter the medical problems of older people aged 65 years onwards. Reports suggest that around 2 percent and 3 percent of hospitals in Australia have medical attachment with aged Australians having great risks of higher levels of medical intake and higher chances of getting hospital admission (Bodi et al, 2015). In the Australian societal setting, there are estimated adverse drug events of almost 400,000 practiced annually. It is proven that medication errors lead to various death cases and are estimated to cause over 7000 deaths annually. It is upon the above persistent problems that have necessitated the proposed research that targets to meet the following objectives:
Objectives
1. To assess the origin and growth of medical errors in adult hospitals in Australia
2. To identify the role of medical administration in the prevention of medical errors in Australia
3. To propose medication administration strategies to limit medical errors among adult patients in Australia
Research hypothesis
1. That medical errors in adult hospitals emanate from poor medical application strategy by medical practitioners
2. That medical administration has a role in preventing medical errors in Australian hospitals
3. That there exist possible solutions to the prevailing medical errors in Australian Healthcare system to reduce adult mortality
Research questions
1. W hat has been the transition of medical errors in adult hospitals in Australia?
2. What is the role of medical administration in the prevention of medical errors in Australian hospitals?
3. What are the possible strategies in prevention of the medical errors in Australian adult hospitals to reduce adult mortality?
Justification and Significance
There has been an escalation of adult mortality in the recent past in the Australian hospital environment. The cases have much been linked to inadequate proficiency in the application of relevant medical strategies in the healthcare system in Australian. Much of the related literature is on the medical errors on the general population mortality rate and the mortality rates among Adult patients (Gavini et al, 2015). The research topic is unique as it deviates from the already carried out research by looking at the medication administration strategies via nurses to reduce medical errors in adult hospitals. The study is significant, as it will investigate the reasons behind the increased adult mortality rates in Australia. It will as well suggest possible solutions to the problem of medical errors thus hoped to reduce adult mortality rates. The research best suits Australia because it has globally recorded high numbers of adult mortality rates due to medical errors.
Scope and limitation
The study is limited to Australia and not any other geographical region because the researcher assumes that geographical areas are not homogeneous. Therefore, there is need to study one region and not to generalize the research findings on a wider region. The study is also limited to medical errors in adult hospitals and medication administration.
Related literature review
There exist several works of literature on the medical errors in Australian hospitals. Prominent Australian researchers have concentrated on the medical errors in children hospitals. The work is relevant to the proposed research study because revelation of causes of medical errors in children hospitals. Some of the causes discussed are still applicable to the current proposed research study. However, some research is limited to adults only hence creating a gap to study medical errors in adult hospitals that have been an issue of concern in the recent past.
The research concentrates on medical errors in hospitals; hence provision of background to the anticipated study. The reviewed literature however generally talks on the medical errors and does not show the specific effects of the medical errors to the category of patients as in adults others (In Cifu et al, 2015). In Australia, medicines are the commonly used healthcare treatment method contributing to significant improvement in the health sector when appropriately applied.
Medicine application is linked with harm and the common use of medicines means they are attributed to more medical complications than any other areas of healthcare. Medical errors always affect the outcomes and the cost of the related medical practices affecting the medical activities within the hospital environment. The existence of the medical errors is of specific concern because most of the existing errors are preventable.
The knowledge of preventing the common medical errors and knowing how the adverse medication event occurs is important for improving the safety and quality of medicine. The proper management of the medical system leads to the improvement of individual practices within the health- care sector. The medication safety of Australia 2013 is the third in a series surveying the available literature and information on medication safety in Australia health care. Most Australian medical publications were released in the year 2002 and 2008 respectively, and the process has expanded the medication safety in Australia effectively. The review in the year 2013 provides important and new information on the extent and nature of medication errors in Australia. The review had three parts according to the medical chronology, for example, the related medical problems in Australia, strategies for improving medical safety in the Australian healthcare settings. The review also accommodates the medication safety intervention strategies in Australian society. The data and information on the medication-related problems in Australia require interpretation within the context of increasingly intricate health care.
According to Professor Lloyd Samson assertions, medication preview includes data on medication error rates where data is limited before. The adverse events furthermore have the high rates of unplanned presentations to hospitals among patients getting the chemotherapy. There are revelations on medications problems and the adverse events and unplanned presentations to hospital among patients receiving chemotherapy. It is evident through the customers with numerous medical errors conditions have regular doctor report about the medical errors. The successful strategies to reduce prescription, to dispense and administration errors support the use of standardized charts and the improved medicine distribution system and technology. Other provisions include the smart infusion pumps for intravenous medicine administration and electronic medication management systems for prescription of relevant medicines.
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