Healthcare Informatics
Safety is recognized as minimizing risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance. Please review the QSEN competencies related to Informatics (http://qsen.org/competencies/pre-licensure-ksas/#informaticsLinks to an external site.) and Safety (http://qsen.org/competencies/pre-licensure-ksas/#safetyLinks to an external site.). For this discussion, please respond to each of the following prompts:
Describe a safety-enhancing technology that you use in your practice. Provide a full description that helps the reader understand its use and features.
In your experience, has the technology described help reduce the intended safety risk for which it was intended? Strengthen your discussion by fully describing why or why not?
Sample Solution
One safety-enhancing technology widely used in nursing practice is Barcode Medication Administration (BCMA). This system utilizes barcodes on both medications and patient identification bands to ensure accurate medication administration at the point of care.
Description and Features:
- Barcode scanners: Nurses carry barcode scanners to capture the unique identifiers on both the patient's wristband and the medication packaging.
- Electronic medication administration record (eMAR): The scanned codes are integrated with the eMAR, which displays the patient's medication orders, dosage, frequency, and route.
Full Answer Section
- Alerts and warnings:The BCMA system generates real-time alerts and warnings if there are discrepancies between the scanned medication and the patient's order. These discrepancies might include:
- Wrong medication
- Incorrect dosage
- Missed allergy information
- Expired medication
- Reduced human error:BCMA removes the possibility of misreading medication labels, a common human error contributing to medication administration mistakes.
- Real-time alerts:The system's immediate alerts and warnings prevent nurses from administering the wrong medication or dosage, potentially saving lives.
- Improved medication reconciliation:BCMA facilitates medication reconciliation by ensuring all medications administered are documented electronically, promoting a complete and accurate picture of the patient's medication regimen.
- Increased accountability:The use of BCMA creates a clear audit trail, ensuring accountability for medication administration and fostering a culture of patient safety.
- System failures:Technical glitches or software errors can disrupt the system's functionality.
- Barcode scanning errors:Improper scanning technique or damaged barcodes can lead to inaccurate readings.
- Over-reliance on technology:Dependence solely on BCMA can lead to nurses bypassing crucial steps in medication administration, like double-checking the medication and patient information.