Ilene Warner-Maron
Institute for Continuing Education and Research
USA
Title: Preventing Medication Errors in Long-Term Care Facilities
Biography
Biography: Ilene Warner-Maron
Abstract
Medication errors are frequent occurrences in hospitals and long-term care settings, estimated in one out of every five doses administered in an institutional setting. Issues of medication errors have been highlighted and studied since the Institute of Medicine’s 1999 report, To Err is Human was released, however medication administration has become increasingly complex and prone to errors despite advances in the electronic medical record and automated dispensing systems. Errors frequently include administration failures (wrong dose, drug, time, route, patient); pharmacy dispensing and delivery issues; technique errors and monitoring problems. A review of citations for medical errors by the Pennsylvania Department of Health from 2009-2012 identified specific categories of errors in medication administration. This presentation will use a systems approach to address the patterns of deficiencies and offer recommendations to decrease errors in all areas of identified deficient practice.