**9. Electronic medical records and medication errors**

Electronic medical records (EMRs) constitute the only reliable implementation of medical, nursing, and laboratory work, since they have limited errors and improved productivity, and the medical decisions of the past provided essential support regarding the administration of medication treatment and the detection of abnormalities in laboratory examinations. They have also improved significantly the quality of the health services provided. The complete development and implementation of EMRs further require the development of an integrated information system [55, 56].

**xix.** Direct dissemination of common information at every level of information management

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**xxi.** Process definition and implementation at section level and cross-sectorial cooperation

**xxiii.** Possibility of direct and effective intervention of the competent institution in cases of any discrepancies in the management of medication products, materials, and labora-

**xxvi.** Positive impact on the financial management of the insurance funds and the hospital

Louisa Bright, a 77-year-old, used to wake up at night with a difficulty in breathing with wheezing. Her doctor diagnosed her with asthma and gave her a prescription with albuterol, a bronchodilator. Two days later, Mrs. Bright was admitted to the coronary care unit (CCU) of a hospital with a heart attack. In his letter to the team leader of the medical department, the cardiologist reported that Mrs. Bright's doctor had made a wrong diagnosis regarding the wheezing of congestive heart failure and had prescribed a wrong treatment for asthma. The

Errors in the administration of medication treatment constitute a consequential causation of morbidity and mortality, yet it could be an unclear and underappreciated understanding. A medication error is any error that happens in the medication use procedure. It has been assessed by the IOM that medication errors bring about 1 of 131 outpatient and 1 of 854 inpatient deaths. Medication elements (e.g., sounding names, below normallevel therapeutic index), patient elements (e.g., unsatisfactory renal or hepatic function, impaired knowledge, polypharmacy), and healthcare professional elements (e.g., use of abbreviations, perceptual biases) are able to bring about faster medication errors. Frequent effects faced by physicians after medication errors can be categorized as loss of patient trust, civil actions, criminal charges, and medical board discipline. Procedures to prevent medication errors from happening (e.g., use of information technology, better drug labeling, and medication reconciliation) have been used with inconsistent satisfactory outcome.

(order, supply, administration, implementation of intervention, charge)

**xxiv.** Ability to monitor the availability of every type of pharmaceutical products

**xxv.** Ability to monitor physical and electronic stocks of every department

due to a decrease of fictitious overconsumption of medications.

cardiologist reported that the therapy could have accelerated heart attack.

**xxii.** Increase of individual and group efficiency and effectiveness

**xx.** Complete workflow automation

tory exams

**10. Clinical vignette**

**11. Conclusion**

Some of the most important benefits of EMRs regarding medications are [55–60]:

	- **ix.** Avoiding duplication of information required for the daily planning of the interventions
	- **x.** Communication through the use of a common language
	- **xi.** Easy and quick search and data recovery aiming at information but also with the potential of immediate information processing and grouping

**9. Electronic medical records and medication errors**

**iv.** Encouragement of greater cooperation between sectors

**viii.** Minimization of the time that is required for written procedures

**x.** Communication through the use of a common language

tial of immediate information processing and grouping

tered interventions, laboratory exams, medications, and materials

**xiv.** Statistical process and evaluation of clinical nursing applications

**xv.** Possibility of data and folder filing with simultaneous space saving

**v.** Quality improvement of the provided services

information system [55, 56].

86 Vignettes in Patient Safety - Volume 4

**iii.** Minimization of cost

records

**i.** Elimination of medical errors

**vii.** Prevention of medication errors

cross-sectorial cooperation

**xvi.** Access of nurses to electronic libraries

tion of knowledge

**ii.** Physician productivity improvement

Electronic medical records (EMRs) constitute the only reliable implementation of medical, nursing, and laboratory work, since they have limited errors and improved productivity, and the medical decisions of the past provided essential support regarding the administration of medication treatment and the detection of abnormalities in laboratory examinations. They have also improved significantly the quality of the health services provided. The complete development and implementation of EMRs further require the development of an integrated

**vi.** Systematic organization and nursing documentation through the use of legible medical

**ix.** Avoiding duplication of information required for the daily planning of the interventions

**xi.** Easy and quick search and data recovery aiming at information but also with the poten-

**xii.** Faster and more efficient communication and arrangement of procedures that require

**xiii.** Valid economic analysis of hospitalization costs for every patient based on the regis-

**xvii.** Familiarity and active participation of nurses in the information society and the circula-

**xviii.** Improvement of information quality (clear, inclusive, reliable, always available)

Some of the most important benefits of EMRs regarding medications are [55–60]:


#### **10. Clinical vignette**

Louisa Bright, a 77-year-old, used to wake up at night with a difficulty in breathing with wheezing. Her doctor diagnosed her with asthma and gave her a prescription with albuterol, a bronchodilator. Two days later, Mrs. Bright was admitted to the coronary care unit (CCU) of a hospital with a heart attack. In his letter to the team leader of the medical department, the cardiologist reported that Mrs. Bright's doctor had made a wrong diagnosis regarding the wheezing of congestive heart failure and had prescribed a wrong treatment for asthma. The cardiologist reported that the therapy could have accelerated heart attack.

#### **11. Conclusion**

Errors in the administration of medication treatment constitute a consequential causation of morbidity and mortality, yet it could be an unclear and underappreciated understanding. A medication error is any error that happens in the medication use procedure. It has been assessed by the IOM that medication errors bring about 1 of 131 outpatient and 1 of 854 inpatient deaths. Medication elements (e.g., sounding names, below normallevel therapeutic index), patient elements (e.g., unsatisfactory renal or hepatic function, impaired knowledge, polypharmacy), and healthcare professional elements (e.g., use of abbreviations, perceptual biases) are able to bring about faster medication errors. Frequent effects faced by physicians after medication errors can be categorized as loss of patient trust, civil actions, criminal charges, and medical board discipline. Procedures to prevent medication errors from happening (e.g., use of information technology, better drug labeling, and medication reconciliation) have been used with inconsistent satisfactory outcome. If an error or an adverse drug event is realized, most patients anticipate disclosure that is at a suitable time, given in person, and accompanied with an apology and attempt to prevent future adverse drug events and errors. Learning more about medication errors may improve healthcare professionals' capacity to make available cautious healthcare to their patients. Future research should concentrate on recognizing the errors and adverse drug events that most usually cause patient injury. Furthermore, a better knowledge in what manner of information technology, labeling, medication reconciliation, and improved care transitions decrease medication errors and adverse drug events is needed. A concentration of easy-to-use and cheap techniques for medication error lowering will probably have the greatest influence.

**Author details**

Vasiliki Kapaki

**References**

311-313

Address all correspondence to: vkapaki2005@gmail.com

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