Editing Pharmacology (section)

== Medication Errors and Safety Culture ==

If an error occurs: assess the patient first, provide any needed intervention, notify the provider, document the facts in the medical record objectively, and complete the incident or occurrence report. The occurrence report is a quality improvement document and is '''not''' filed in the patient chart, nor is its existence charted.

Preventive practices include avoiding error-prone abbreviations (write "unit" not "U", "daily" not "QD", "every other day" not "QOD", avoid "MS" for morphine sulfate or magnesium sulfate), always using a leading zero before a decimal (0.5 mg) and never a trailing zero (5 mg, not 5.0 mg), reading back verbal and telephone orders, limiting verbal orders to emergencies, and using barcode-assisted medication administration.

Nurses have the professional duty to '''question and clarify''' an order that appears unsafe, incomplete, or inappropriate. Administering a knowingly unsafe order does not shift liability away from the nurse.