error
(er′ŏr)
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[L. error, wandering, straying]
A mistake or miscalculation.
Common Medication Errors
Error | Explanation |
Expired medication given | The correct medication and dose are given, but the medication is no longer potent |
Incorrect dose | The correct medication is given to the correct patient, but the dose, e.g., 75 mg instead of 75 mcg, is improperly identified and administered |
Incorrect labeling | The medication is given with improper identification, inadequate warnings about side effects or interactions, or the wrong patient’s name |
Inadequate monitoring for side effects | The medication is given properly, but prudent assessment of vital signs or heart rhythms, e.g., antiarrhythmic drugs, is not performed |
Incorrect quantity | The patient receives medications in the correct dosage, but the wrong number of pills of that dosage are administered |
Mixing error | The correct medication is given, but it is given in the wrong diluent or with an incompatible intravenous fluid |
Patient allergy not recognized | The patient is given an agent (a drug or vaccine, for example) to which he or she has reacted adversely in the past |
Self-administration of drugs | A patient takes a medication without supervision, and then receives additional or conflicting medications under provider supervision |
Stocking errors | Medications are dispensed to satellite dispensaries or pharmacies in a facility and given to patients without oversight from a coordinating center, where important patient-centered information is stored |
Timing error | A medication is given too often or not often enough |
Wrong patient | A medication is given to one patient in a room, when another should have been treated; a medication is mistakenly given to a patient whose name resembles the name of the intended patient |
Wrong route of administration | A medication intended for oral use is given intravenously, or by another inappropriate or potentially hazardous route. |
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Citation
Venes, Donald, editor. "Error." Taber's Medical Dictionary, 24th ed., F.A. Davis Company, 2021. Nursing Central, nursing.unboundmedicine.com/nursingcentral/view/Tabers-Dictionary/743490/0/error.
Error. In: Venes DD, ed. Taber's Medical Dictionary. F.A. Davis Company; 2021. https://nursing.unboundmedicine.com/nursingcentral/view/Tabers-Dictionary/743490/0/error. Accessed October 8, 2024.
Error. (2021). In Venes, D. (Ed.), Taber's Medical Dictionary (24th ed.). F.A. Davis Company. https://nursing.unboundmedicine.com/nursingcentral/view/Tabers-Dictionary/743490/0/error
Error [Internet]. In: Venes DD, editors. Taber's Medical Dictionary. F.A. Davis Company; 2021. [cited 2024 October 08]. Available from: https://nursing.unboundmedicine.com/nursingcentral/view/Tabers-Dictionary/743490/0/error.
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