Medications Errors in Mental Healh Nursing

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Medication errors in mental health nursing

Introduction Mental health has become a prominent political issue within Australian society. The professional image of Registered Psychiatric Nurses (RPN) has evolved from a predominantly medical model to the modern day psychosocial model of care and support (Boyd, 2005). It is now considered that RPN’s practice autonomously and are highly regarded for their clinical skills and their dedication towards mental health. Medication is a necessary treatment in severe and persistent mental health illness, and its effectiveness has been recognized in multiple clinical trials (Lavelle & Tusaie, 2011). Moreover, it is postulated within the literature that without medication, consumers will endure deterioration of their mental illness and these deteriorations may become more difficult to treat (Drach-Zahavy & Pud, 2010; Happell, Manias & Roper, 2004; Lavelle & Tusaie, 2011). Thus, it is imperative that consumers receive the correct medication. However, in current practice errors still occur. Medication errors are associated with significant rates of mental health issues and it is this population that may be particularly susceptible to medication errors due to various factors (Lavelle & Tusaie, 2011; Maidment & Parmentier, 2009; Ito & Yamasumi, 2003). This paper will explore factors that contribute to medication errors and their effects on mental health nurses. In addition this paper will offer some future recommendation in order to decrease medication errors.

Medication errors Medication administration is an essential aspect of nursing, however, failure to consider the details of adverse reactions, drug interactions or administration schedules may compromise the efficiency of the therapeutic medication regime (Jordan, Jones, & Sargent, 2009). According to Haw, Stubbs & Dickens (2007) and Ramanujan &

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