Ethical Issue Essay

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Effects of interruptions to nurses during medication administration
Janette Bennett and colleagues explain why interrupting nurses, particularly when they are administering drugs, can affect the quality of the care they provide
Summary
Medication errors can occur at any stage of the medication process including prescribing, dispensing, preparation, administration and monitoring (Vincent et al 2009). Medication administration is acknowledged as a process in which patient safety can be compromised easily (Department of Health 2003) and it is argued that any distraction or interruption during medication administration can result in errors. This Policy+ reviews the contribution to medication administration errors of interruptions to nurses’ work and considers how such interruptions can be reduced. Keywords Medication errors, interruptions, administration ThE liTEraTurE distinguishes between three types of interruption: interruptions mid task and between tasks (Potter et al 2005), and system failures such as when the access of staff to equipment and supplies is poor (Tucker and Spear 2006). a pilot study by the National Nursing research unit, at King’s College london, has shown that interruptions are contextually dependent on ward layout, patient care, trust or ward protocols and the seniority of the nurses undertaking the tasks involved. interruptions affect staff cognitively by interfering with working memory, causing lack of focus (Potter et al 2005) and invoking feelings of frustration and stress. however, it must be noted that interruptions in healthcare settings may sometimes be essential to good staff communication so that harm and error can be minimised or eradicated. 22 February 2010 | Volume 16 | Number 9 The evidence of the contribution to medication administration errors of interruptions to nurses’ work examined by the authors included systematic

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