Week 2: Minimizing Risk of Harm
Safety is recognized as minimizing risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance. Please review the QSEN competencies related to Informatics (http://qsen.org/competencies/pre-licensure-ksas/#informaticsLinks to an external site.) and Safety (http://qsen.org/competencies/pre-licensure-ksas/#safetyLinks to an external site.). For this discussion, please respond to each of the following prompts:
- Describe a safety-enhancing technology that you use in your practice. Provide a full description that helps the reader understand its use and features.
- In your experience, has the technology described help reduce the intended safety risk for which it was intended? Strengthen your discussion by fully describing why or why not?
In my practice, one safety-enhancing technology that I frequently use is the barcode medication administration (BCMA) system. BCMA is a system designed to reduce medication administration errors by electronically verifying medications before they are given to patients. Here’s how it typically works:
- Verification Process: Each medication administered to a patient has a unique barcode. The nurse scans the patient’s wristband and then scans the medication barcode. The system compares the scanned information with the electronic medication administration record (eMAR) to ensure accuracy.
- Alerts and Warnings: BCMA can alert the nurse if there is a discrepancy, such as wrong patient, wrong medication, wrong dose, or wrong time. This prompts the nurse to double-check and correct any errors before administering the medication.
- Documentation: Administration details are automatically documented in the patient’s electronic health record (EHR) once the medication is successfully scanned and administered, promoting accurate record-keeping.
- Audit Trail: The system maintains an audit trail of all medications administered, which can be valuable for reviewing incidents, identifying patterns, and improving overall medication safety protocols.
In my experience, BCMA has significantly reduced medication administration errors and improved patient safety in several ways:
- Error Prevention: By verifying patient identity, medication details, and administration times electronically, BCMA minimizes the risk of human error in medication administration. The system’s alerts catch potential mistakes before they reach the patient, such as administering the wrong medication or dose.
- Enhanced Accuracy: BCMA ensures that the right medication is given to the right patient at the right time and in the right dose. This accuracy is crucial in preventing adverse drug events and improving patient outcomes.
- Efficiency: While initially seen as an added step in the medication administration process, BCMA integrates seamlessly into nurses’ workflows once they become accustomed to it. The time spent on double-checking medication administration is offset by the efficiency gained in error prevention and streamlined documentation.
- Data Utilization: The audit trail and data generated by BCMA can be analyzed to identify systemic issues or areas for improvement in medication safety protocols. This data-driven approach supports continuous quality improvement efforts within healthcare organizations.