Medication Errors: Don’t Let Them Happen to You, Essay Example

By preparing my literature review, I hope to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the problems that result as a consequence of medication errors in addition to how nurses can contribute more readily to the prevention of these mistakes (Townsend, 2010). Since a variety of health care institutions have completed work to address medication errors in the past, it would be reasonable to determine the problems they detected within their organization in addition to how the interventions they implemented contributed to the resolution of these issues (Aronson, 2009).

To achieve this goal, it would be valuable to draw from both primary and secondary sources. Primary sources would include original research conducted by health care professionals regarding an epidemiological understanding of medication errors made within health care institutions in addition to interventional studies that attempt to reduce this percentage (Leedy & Omrod, 2013). Furthermore, it would be beneficial to use secondary sources that draw from the understandings presented in primary sources. Using this information will help apply connections between the literature to my personal literature review in a manner that allows me to remain consistent with the existing literature. Primary sources are used in literature reviews because it helps researchers apply evidence-based practice to their studies to develop new understandings.

It will be beneficial to gain a comprehensive understanding of the knowledge that has already been collected concerning medication errors prior to the start of the study. Since addressing medication errors is a necessary component of patient care, it is expected that this practice will allow me to develop a thorough understanding of this topic. Therefore, searching primary and secondary sources will be a valuable way to contribute to the background and study design of my original research project.

References

Aronson, K. J. (2009). Medication errors: Definitions and classification. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 67(6), 599-604. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2125.2009.03415.x

Leedy, P. D. & Ormrod, J. E. (2013). Practical research: Planning and design (10th ed.). Saddle River, New Jersey, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Townsend, P. (2010). Medication errors: Don’t let them happen to you. American Nurse Today, 5(3).