MEDICATION SAFETY AND PREVENTION OF HEALTHCARE ERRORS

Abstract

Medication is one of the most common and important interventions used in healthcare. Medicines
are given to stop, reduce, treat or control diseases and to make people feel better and have a better
quality of life when they have chronic conditions. The process of medicines use is complex,
however, with multiple steps involved in the prescribing, transcribing, dispensing, giving, and
monitoring of medicines. These steps can all go wrong, and can lead to harm to the patient.
Medication errors thus are an important patient-safety issue in health care systems all over the
world. Medication safety is the practices and systems used to ensure that medicines are used safely
and appropriately throughout the medication use process. It is about choosing the right medicine,
giving the right dose, giving the right medicine to the right person in the right way, observing its
effects and giving patients the right information about the medicine they are taking. It is not only
the healthcare worker's responsibility to ensure the safety of medicines. Instead, it demands a
concerted effort of all the people involved in the delivery of the health system, including
prescribers, nurses, pharmacists, patients, caregivers, healthcare administrators and other staff.