The 5 Rights + 1 of medication administration aim to ensure that medications are administered accurately and safely. To minimize medication errors, the following methods are effective:
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Computerized order entry - This helps reduce errors associated with handwritten prescriptions and ensures that all orders are standardized and legible.
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Manual redundancy system - This involves having multiple checks in place, such as having another nurse verify the medication before administration, which can help catch errors.
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Bar coding - This system allows for the scanning of medications and patient wristbands to ensure that the right medication is given to the right patient, further helping to prevent errors.
Using a calculator might help in some calculations, but it is not specifically a method designed to minimize medication errors in the same systematic way as the above methods.
An increase in the nurse-client ratio might not necessarily reduce medication errors; in fact, a higher patient load can lead to increased burnout and a higher likelihood of errors.
Based on this information, the correct selections that are designed to minimize medication errors are:
- Computerized order entry
- Manual redundancy system
- Bar coding