Introduction
In the recent past, the research indicates that a large number of death cases and a high rate of disability occur in healthcare facilities due to an increasing number of critical incidents. The errors are unintentionally committed and thus it becomes challenging to prevent them before they happen. The events lower the viability of hospitals especially nurses in delivering care services to the patients. The confusion resulting in the outcomes is caused by the continuous and demanding activities undertaken by the providers and the failure to inquire about the effects of the action taken. Medication-related events are a common issue facing most healthcare units and health professionals in the nursing practice. However, upon reflection and understanding of the impacts of the situations, practitioners develop and learn various ways to overcome and manage such incidents in the future.
Description of Incident
One night, a caregiver was in charge of managing two female patients of age 56 and 34 years old. The 56-year-old woman was suffering from a diabetic condition while the 34-year-old had problems with heart disease which made her health situation complex in most cases, especially before receiving her medicines. Based on the medication schedule for both patients, they were to receive their treatment almost at the same time. When it comes to the time when the care provider went to collect the doses, she took the all at once. This led to confusion and the nurse could not easily distinguish the drugs. The practitioner did not take time to determine which medicine should be given to which patient. The approach made the nurse give the right dose to the wrong patient. After some time, the woman suffering from diabetes started screaming following the intense pain she was feeling. The injection given to her was meant for the heart condition, while her status required insulin to regulate her blood sugar level. The event endangered the life of the patient which prompted immediate intervention from the nurse manager to reverse the situation.
Analysis of the Event
After the incident, when the nurse was called, she was confident in her reason stating that the medicines were indicated similarly hence she thought they had the same purpose for managing the conditions of the patients. Upon realizing the situation of the diabetic patient became worse, the caregiver informed the nurse manager of the incident which resulted in immediate action. She did not wait longer which made it possible to initiate a remedy to reverse the patient’s condition. When discussing the occurrence, the practitioner involved took her time and engaged fully to understand the cause of the situation and its implication for the well-being of the sick individuals (Rubenfeld & Scheffer, 2015). Based on the current conditions in the facility whereby patients are grouped even those with different diseases, the nurse manager had already speculated the possibility of such confusion. When the issue was raised, the reaction was a shift because the administration had discussed it earlier before to increase the capacity of beds adjusted. During the incident, the nurse did her best and tried to solve the problem after the condition deteriorated, she opted for help from the manager. The care provider followed the patient records to comprehend the type of medications she has been using currently to manage the situation. Both the nurse manager and the practitioner utilize critical thinking to find a quick solution to improve patient safety.
The remedy to revive the patient’s condition worked accordingly and after a short duration, the patient was in stable health status. The nurse manager’s response was quick and shift which made it easier to counter the scenario before it could lead to fatality. Despite the effort to resolve the situation, the patient was forced to take different drugs to help in managing her blood sugar level. The decision came after her body system could not respond to the previous treatment she was subjected to.
I believe the congestion of patients in the hospital contributed to the confusion. Similarly using almost the same bottle made it difficult for the nurse to distinguish between the medicines. In addition, the aspect of burnout may be part of the factors that facilitated the incident occurrence. Lack of clarity in communication between the daytime nurse and the night shift practitioner is another relevant aspect of the scenario. The care provider too may have not instigated the outcomes supposing she administered a patient with the wrong dose (Buhlmann et al., 2021). To prevent the events from happening, the nurse manager should ensure the labeling of all medicines is made clear. During shifts, nurses should communicate and share details of the patient’s medications effectively to minimize such situations.
Conclusion
Critical events are common in healthcare and their outcomes are sometimes severe. In the above case, nurse and manager actions played a significant role in reversing the condition. The immediate decision and inquisitive nature of the practitioners made it easier to identify the problem and implement the immediate solution. Even though the incidents are challenging, having the ability to analyze and act swiftly to the changes, a provider will be able to manage most of the situations thus improving the safety and wellbeing of patients within the facility.
References
Buhlmann, M., Ewens, B., & Rashidi, A. (2021). The impact of critical incidents on nurses and midwives: A systematic review.Journal of Clinical Nursing, 30(9-10), 1195-1205.
Rubenfeld, M. G., & Scheffer, B.K. (2015). Critical thinking TACTICS for nurses: Achieving the IOM competencies (3rd ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett.