Avoid Medication Errors!
Most of the medications used by EMS are nothing but poison administered in careful amounts.
One of my favorite cliché’s is “everything is fine in moderation”; and when you think about it, that’s fairly true. Our bodies can withstand small amounts of many undesirable things. That’s why we can eat at barbecue places or have a greasy cheeseburger every now and then and live past 40. We all know what happens, or can happen, when we indulge heavily (not in moderation) in unhealthy or unsafe habits.
Most of the medications used by EMS are nothing but poison administered in careful amounts. In moderation (the correct dose, route) these poisons can be very beneficial, even life-saving for the patient. But the wrong medication, the wrong amount or given improperly can be disastrous, even fatal!
Here are some tips for avoiding giving the wrong medication. If you think it won’t happen to you, realize that everyone who has ever made a medication error didn’t intend to do it. Take time to do it right!
- Make sure vials and packaging with similar appearances are marked to avoid choosing the wrong one. Here we have marked a vial of Amiodarone with red nail polish to differentiate it from a vial of Benedryl which looks almost identical. When you see a bright color on any of our vials take a moment to confirm what it is; the bright color means it can be mistaken for something else!
- ALWAYS check the label of the vial. Here the label on the Ativan is obscured by the expiration label applied at the office. We tore off part of the expiration date sticker to make the vial label visible. Don’t guess; check it and check it twice. This is especially important when you’re in a hurry!
- Have someone else confirm that the label says what you think it says. Max is asking his partner, LD to confirm the label, but he could have anyone who can read tell him what the name of the medication is. Sounds stupid? Having another person confirm what the medication is would have prevented two errors our co-workers have made.
- Tape the vial to the syringe when you draw up medication before you draw up the next one. You will know what’s in the syringe by the vial taped to it. Don’t depend on your brain to remember accurately which is which during high stress calls; it doesn’t work out.
Check the label again. Look at the label when you draw it up or put the needle in the IV hub. This only takes a second and can save the patient’s life.
There’s no glory in resuscitating a patient that needed resuscitating due to a medication error. Take the extra seconds to pay attention to what and how much you are giving. The result is improved care and less paper work!