Nurses in New York City hospitals have difficult and important jobs, and they are rarely able to complete their shifts without being frequently distracted or interrupted. The errors that such interruptions lead to can be serious, and nurses are expected to focus intently on what they are doing to avoid distractions when performing important tasks such as sorting or administering medications.
Nurses in New York City hospitals have difficult and important jobs, and they are rarely able to complete their shifts without being frequently distracted or interrupted. The errors that such interruptions lead to can be serious, and nurses are expected to focus intently on what they are doing to avoid distractions when performing important tasks such as sorting or administering medications.
Research has revealed that medication errors, such as giving patients the wrong drug, surge by more than 12 percent when nurses are unable to concentrate on the task at hand, and hospitals have responded to this data by developing policies and procedures known as pass processes to protect patients and cut down on the frequency of mistakes. When errors do occur, the doctors or nurses involved may be asked to describe the sequence of events in detail so that lapses can be pinpointed and safety protocols updated.
Many of the most common medication errors may be prevented by the use of sophisticated medicine cabinets that count or measure the drugs being dispensed automatically. These machines prevent too many or too few pills being dispensed because nurses have lost count following an interruption, and they also keep track of the entire dispensing process to avoid steps being omitted or repeated. The records provided by automated dispensing cabinets can also help hospital safety officers to identify medical personnel who are particularly error-prone.
While efforts to eliminate distractions and interruptions in busy hospitals and hectic clinics can never be completely effective, they are likely to be more successful when a sufficient number of doctors and nurses are on duty. Medical malpractice lawsuits may be filed against physicians when their decisions or actions fail to live up to the standards established by the medical community, and health care facilities may face litigation when patients are harmed due to inadequate staffing, lax oversight or insufficient training.
