b'| LEADERSHIP GUIDErather than making system changes. as prescribed is a serious problem and candepartments annually because of uninten-Failure to address and deal withlead to patient-initiated errors. In fact, it istional medication poisonings. This figure interruptions during medica- estimated that failure to adhere to medica- excludes recreational drug use. The major-tion ordering, preparation, andtion regimens causes 30% to 50% of chronicity of these events (over 80%) were due to administration. disease treatment failures and 125,000unsupervised children finding and con-Failure to properly implement newdeaths per year in the U.S. Additionally, 25%suming medication. Research shows that technology. to 50% of patients being treated with statinschildren under the age of 5 are two times Failure to evaluate new technology. who stop therapy within one year have up toas likely as older children to be taken to the 10. Double checks: a 25% increased risk for dying (FDA, 2016). emergency department for an adverse drug Failure to ask a colleague to doubleData regarding failure to take medicationevent. One out of every 150 children 2 years check manual calculations beforeas prescribed show that (FDA, 2016): of age is seen at the emergency department administering medications. Twenty percent to 30% of new prescrip- for a medication poisoning every year (FDA, Failure to ask a colleague to doubletions are never filled at the pharmacy. 2016).check high-alert medications beforeMedication is not taken as prescribedNursing consideration: Failure to adhereMedication errors are the most common medical errors. Data from the FDA indicate that the most common error involving medication was administering an improper dose. Giving the wrong dose accounts for about 41% of fatal medication errors. dispensing or administrating them. 50% of the time. to medication regimens is a serious problem. Failure to ask a colleague to dou- For patients prescribed medicationsNurses must not only teach about the med-ble check high-risk processes beforefor chronic diseases, after six months,ications themselves, but must assess bar-proceeding. the majority take less medication thanriers to taking medications (e.g. confusion, 11. Teamwork: prescribed or stop the medicationcost) and work with patients and families to Reluctance to consult with col- altogether. reduce/eliminate such barriers.leagues or to ask for help whenOnly 51% of patients taking medica- Sandra has her own online business. She indicated. tions for high blood pressure continuesells her hand-crafted jewelry and sales have Lack of responsiveness to colleaguetaking their medication during theirbeen good. However, she has relatively lim-or patient requests. long-term treatment. ited health insurance coverage since she is 12. Technology: Why do patients fail to take medicationspaying for her health insurance premiums Technology work-arounds. (A work- as prescribed? They may not have been givenherself. Sandra has rheumatoid arthritis around is a temporary fix imple- instructions that they could understand.and takes a number of medications. She has mented to bypass a problem thatThey may be taking multiple medications atdecided to investigate online pharmacies in should be addressed and resolved). different times a day, leading to confusion ofan effort to reduce the amount of money she Over-riding computer alerts withoutwhat to take when. There may be side effectspays for her prescription medications.proper consideration. that are difficult to tolerate. Cost may alsoAnother possible patient-initiated barrier Failure to fully engage availablebe an issue. Some people may simply notto medication safety is using the Internet to technology. be able to afford to purchase their medica- purchase medications. The FDA has devel-tions (FDA, 2016). Adverse drug events inoped resources to guide consumers who TYPES OF MEDICATION ERRORS INITIATEDolder adults and children may be especiallypurchase medications online.BY PATIENTS problematic. It is estimated that 75,000 chil- The high cost of some prescription med-Failure of patients to take their medicationsdren (18 and younger) are seen in emergencyications has led many consumers to search www.elitecme.com |2020| LEADERSHIP GUIDE 15'