O C T O B E R 2 0 1 7 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 7 7
SURGICAL
ERRORS
7 Tips to Prevent
Medication Errors
W
hy do medication mistakes continue to occur?
"Because too many surgical leaders have focused
on weak interventions," says Joyce Wahr, MD,
FAHA, vice chair of quality and safety in the
department of anesthesiology at the University of
Minnesota in Minneapolis. "You can change policies and procedures,
and tell providers to try harder, but those are incredibly ineffective
ways to address the underlying issues." Instead, says Dr. Wahr, focus
on implementing fail-safe systems that stop mistakes as they're hap-
pening, before they reach the patient.
Ensure the right dose of the right medication reaches the
right patient. Daniel Cook | Executive Editor
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR
• FLYING SOLO The OR is
one of the few patient care
areas where a single person
is often in charge of obtain-
ing, preparing and adminis-
tering medications.
