Reflection on Oral Medication Administration Essay

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Reflection on Oral Medication Administration Essay

According to this task, I will reflect on how to perform the administration of oral medication to the patient. Gibbs’s reflective model is an appropriate model that I will use since it is recommended by many of the nursing students (Sekarwinahyu et al. 2019). In this situation, I was acting as a nurse while I selected one of my classmates to present a patient, therefore performing our medication in class.Reflection on Oral Medication Administration Essay.  My teacher was acting as my supervision doctor. First, I was to identify my patient and administer the patient according to the doctor’s prescription of the drug administration. Therefore, I was requested to administer a drug to the patient accordingly. I proceeded as learned to verify the drugs’ name, medication package, the dose as prescribed. Also, I confirmed the patient details concerning the diagnosis, individual details like names, and educating the patient of the side effect of the medication to be administered. Finally, I administered the drugs to the patient according to the seven rights of medication and signed accordingly (Ahmed et al. 2019).

FEELINGS

I was under the supervision of the doctor (teacher) and the in front of the whole class, therefore, feeling very nervous and self-conscious. The pressure around me encouraged me to administer the medication as prescribed without making errors. Also, the doctor questioned me if I am aware of the side effect of the drug am about to administer. This made me act like I know everything concerning the dose and the patient so to make sure the patient is satisfied. After administering the medication, the students encouraged me about the exercise and felt more confident about the next practical concerning oral medication.Reflection on Oral Medication Administration Essay.

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EVALUATION

The practical was interesting and educative to some parts. I was able to remember what we had taught in class and have the courage to perform it. I adhered to all stages of oral medication, before and after dispensing, cross-checking the patient details, and the prescribed medication (Anderson et al. 2018). This made me remain accurate since I was under supervision. I was not able to use some knowledge at the moment, like calculating the dosage on myself since it was already indicated. They were no enough time to refer to the medication chart for accuracy purpose. I could not be able to check the patient medical history, which also I forgot. Since it was my first time could not be able to carry out the exercise at a higher speed. I am feeling encouraged to administer another oral medication in a better way, not forgetting to check patient medical history, recalling tips from medicines for safety, and at a higher speed than before.

ANALYSIS

Nurses are recommended to handle patients’ requirements by their cultures and beliefs (Tawanwongsri & Phenwan, 2019). Before a nurse conducting a medical administration, he/she should be well planned and ready with an aim to avoid any potential error. This is by seven rights of drugs and three checks, accuracy and safety of medication chart, and maximizing the use of the clinical reasoning cycle. One of the critical mistakes I made is failing to analyze past medical history and calculating the drug’s dosage for confirmation (Pizzi, 2018). However, my supervisor (teacher) has reminded me next time to have a look at patients’ files if available to have explicit knowledge of the dosage administering. Forgetting to recall medication chart skills was unable to perform the exercise speed since I was not sure of some safety measures. Reflection on Oral Medication Administration Essay. Also, the teacher reminded me to be keen not to leave any drugs or medication instruction with anyone and to sign after the successful medication of the client.

CONCLUSION

In summary, to have successful medication, nurses are encouraged to work as a team with doctors. Administering oral medication it requires confidence and courage to approach the patient. The patient must enjoy a successful remedy from a nurse; therefore, I need to focus on acquiring more skills and knowledge on how to perform medication better in the future. It is good to follow all instructions and create a friendly environment for the patient and nurse interaction.

ACTION PLAN

In the future, I will first create a friendly and mutual environment with the patient (Davies et al. 2019). The situation will encourage confidence and reduce pressure while dealing with a patient. Following all instructions from the first one to the last one is recommended by the nursing medication chart. These instructions include dose calculation, confirming patient details, understanding the side effects of the drugs, and works under control of the clinical medical table. I should be able to understand different terminology as are used in various organizations. Accuracy and speed are essential, which are requiring to develop for future perfection of medication.Reflection on Oral Medication Administration Essay.

REFERENCES

Ahmed, M. A., Okour, M., Brundage, R., & Kartha, R. V. (2019). Orphan drug development: the increasing role of clinical pharmacology. Journal of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, 1-15.

Anderson, J., Dalabih, S., Birisi, E., & Dalabih, A. (2018). Is Orally Administered Pentobarbital a Safe and Effective Alternative to Chloral Hydrate for Pediatric Procedural Sedation?. The Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 23(6), 460-465.

Davies, K. M., Coombes, I. D., Keogh, S., & Whitfield, K. M. (2019). Medication administration evaluation tool design: An expert panel review. Collegian, 26(1), 118-124.

Pizzi, L. J. (2018). R4 Quantitative Study Using an Oral PCA Device versus PRN Administration of Post-Operative Opioid Pain Medications. Pain Management Nursing, 19(2), 111-112.

Sekarwinahyu, M., Rustaman, N. Y., Widodo, A., & Riandi, R. (2019, February). Development of problem-based learning for the online tutorial program in plant development using Gibbs’ reflective cycle and e-portfolio to enhance reflective thinking skills. In Journal of Physics: Conference Series (Vol. 1157, No. 2, p. 022099). IOP Publishing.

Tawanwongsri, W., & Phenwan, T. (2019). Reflective and feedback performances on Thai medical students’ patient history-taking skills. BMC medical education, 19(1), 141.

Medication Administration The intended use of medications is meant to improve a person’ health, it is very important the individual administering medication or self-medicating use the drugs correctly, by following the doctors’ instruction for the medication prescribed. Medication is given to diagnose, treat, and prevent illness.Reflection on Oral Medication Administration Essay.  Medication can be very dangerous, which can potentially cause harm or even deaf if it’s not used properly. Administering medication requires the understanding of how the medication is to enter the body such as orally, transdermal, or intravenous. It also requires the knowledge of when the medication needs to be administered, the possible side effects, and its toxicity. Doctors, nurses, and a few other
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA 2009), the wrong route of administrating medication accounts for 1.3 million injuries each year. An article published in September issue of the Journal of Patient Safety estimates there are between 210,000 and 400,000 deaths per year associated with medical errors. This makes medical errors the third leading cause of deaths in the United States, behind that comes heart disease and cancer. To prevent medical errors always follow the Three Checks and most importantly the Rights of Medication Administration. The “Rights of Medication Administration” helps to ensure accuracy when administering medication to a patient. When administering medication the administer should ensure they have the Right Medication, Right Patient, Right Dosage, Right Route, Right Time, Right Route, Right Reason, and Right Documentation. Also remember the patient has the right to refuse, assess patient for pain, and always assess the patient for signs of effects. Medication administration is not just giving medicine to a patient; it also involves observation of how the patient responds to the drug after administration. Reflection on Oral Medication Administration Essay. As a nurse or health professional we’re trained to know medication effects. Knowing how medication move through the body and what effects the medication has or what adverse effects may occur is most important when preventing

This is a reflection on an incident that occurred during a shift on the labour ward. I have chosen Gibbs model of reflection (1988) to guide my reflective process. (Gibbs 1998) (Appendix I). Gibbs model (1998) goes through six important points to aid the reflective process, including description of incident, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion and finally action plan. The advantage of Gibbs’s six-stage model is that it allows you to learn from experiences and make changes for your future practice.

Description

The incident involves the administration of a wrong opiate drug to a postnatal patient. The incident occurred whilst checking and administering a controlled drug. The drug error was discovered by the co-ordinator at the end of the day shift. During the daily checking of the controlled drugs, the co-ordinator and another midwife, found a discrepancy with the number of Diamorphine 10mg and Morphine 10mg ampoules, there being one too many Morphine 10mg ampoules and one too few of the Diamorphine 10mg ampoules.Reflection on Oral Medication Administration Essay.

Myself, as the midwife checking the drug, along with the midwife who administered the Diamorphine to her patient, were the only midwives to have administered a controlled drug on the shift. The drugs were correct on the previous daily check.

Feelings

On being informed of the error my initial feelings were of disbelief and horror. I was confused; two midwives had checked the drug and neither of us noted the mistake. I felt very upset and embarrassed that I had made this mistake, since qualifying as a midwife I have never made such an error. When the error was highlighted I instantly remembered checking Diamorphine and mixing the drug with 2mls of water for injections, I remembered talking to the other midwife concerned about personal affairs.

I felt ashamed that I had allowed myself be distracted during such an important task. I was very angry that I had allowed myself to become complacent about drug administration. The Code States that midwives shall, “provide a high standard of practice and care at all times”, (NMC 2008), I felt that I had not only failed the patient but the profession too. I started to worry about the potential effects to the patient concerned. The Standards for Medicine Management, (NMC 2010), states ” as a registrant, if you make an error you must take any action to prevent any potential harm to the patient”. The patient had suffered no real harm as a result of the dug error and she was recovering well post-operatively.

Evaluation

The main advantage regarding this incident is that the patient concerned came to no serious harm. Reflection on Oral Medication Administration Essay. Personally, I feel that I have learnt from the experience, thus enhancing my clinical practice. Gladstone (1995) agrees that planning problem solving strategies and accepting responsibility is found to lead to positive changes. This incident has highlighted the need for vigilance at all times. I have changed my practice to avoid drug errors occurring in the future, I am aware not to be complacent with drug administration. I will never let this or any other incident occur due to lack of concentration again in my practice.

Analysis

Drug administration is one of the highest risk areas of nursing practice and a matter of considerable concern for both managers and practitioners (Gladstone 1995). Consequently, detailed and comprehensive procedures and standards exist, thus ensuring safe, legal and effective practice, for example of the Medicines Act (1968) and NMC’s Guidelines for the Administration of Medicines (2007).

The Consumer Protection Act 1987 and Medicines Act 1968 require that to administer medication, the practitioner has to ensure that the right medication is given, to the right patient, at the right time, in the right form of the drug, at the right dose and right route. Nursing & Midwifery Council’s Code of Professional Conduct (2004) emphasises the administration of medication is an area of concern for public safety, and generally follow the principles laid down by law. The NMC also publish the appropriate guidelines for nurses on the administration of medicines (NMC 2004).

The Standards for Medicine Management (NMC 2010) states that I am “accountable for your actions and omissions”. This incident has highlighted the need for vigilance at all times. Rule 7 of the Midwives Rules and Standards (NMC2004), states that “A practising midwife shall only supply and administer those medicines, including analgesics, in respect of which she has received appropriate training as to us, dosage and method of administration”. Although the local policy and procedures were followed, it seems that unintentionally the incorrect drug was administered. Reflection on Oral Medication Administration Essay.

As a registered midwife I am up to date with all training, I have never before in my practice made a drug error. Research studies demonstrate that many drug errors within clinical practice occur as a result of distractions on the ward, illegible writing or because nurses failed to check the patient’s name-band (Gladstone 1996). The incident discussed demonstrates how easily practitioners can become distracted when checking and administrating drugs.

With regard to reporting drug errors, (Webster and Anderson 2002) found that several areas of concern emerged, including nurses’ confusion regarding the definition of drug errors and the appropriate actions to take when they occurred. Nurses also reported their fear of disciplinary action and the loss of their clinical confidence. The Guidelines for the Administration of Medicine by the Nursing and Midwifery Council advises that an open culture exists in order to encourage the immediate reporting of errors or incidents in the administration of medicines.

It also advises that nurses who have been made the subject of local disciplinary action, has discouraged the reporting of incidents which is detrimental to patients. Furthermore, all errors and incidents have a thorough investigation at local level, taking into account the full context of the circumstances, which requires sensitivity (NMC 2004). To learn from our mistakes, Williams (1996) believes we first need to acknowledge that we have made them. As mistakes in a professional capacity do happen, these mistakes need to be used as a learning experience to reflect upon and to therefore avoid them from happening again.

Conclusion

As discussed previously, the administration of medicines is a vital part of the midwives role. Drug error is costly in terms of increased hospital stay, resources consumed and patient harm (Webster and Anderson 2002). A study by Kapborg (1999) showed that the most common errors among nurses were administration of the wrong drug and levels of drugs administered exceeding the prescribed ones. Reflection on Oral Medication Administration Essay.

Action Plan

From my experiences of the incident, I have learnt a valuable lesson. I no longer allow myself to be distracted from other members of staff, patients or relatives when I am in the process of administering medication. During this time I only have discussions with the patient to whom which I am given them their medication.

I realise the seriousness of my error and I have since read literature to educate myself, the important of not repeating the same mistake again. My reflective practice has encompassed critical analysis of my self-awareness. Through this process, I have been able to learn from my mistake. The drug error incident has been a learning curve and I now feel that I have improved my practice and became a better midwife, thus improving patient care.

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