Implementing AORN Recommended Practices for Medication Safety

Abstract

Medication errors in the perioperative setting can result in patient morbidity and mortality. The AORN "Recommended practices for medication safety" provide guidance to perioperative nurses in developing, implementing, and evaluating safe medication use practices. These practices include recognizing risk points in the medication use process, collaborating with pharmacy staff members, conducting preoperative assessments and postoperative evaluations (eg, medication reconciliation), and handling hazardous medications and pharmaceutical waste. Strategies for successful implementation of the recommended practices include promoting a basic understanding of the nurse's role in the medication use process and developing a medication management plan as well as policies and procedures that support medication safety and activities to measure compliance with safe practices.

The relationship between nurse manager's transformational leadership style and medication safety

“…Nurses should carefully follow all applicable instructions, procedures and policies relating to medication administration and act in accordance with the principles of safe medication . Staff in healthcare units should therefore be given clear guidance on medication administration, including orientation on the subject .…”

“…Staff in healthcare units should therefore be given clear guidance on medication administration, including orientation on the subject . Promoting medication safety requires also precise and exact error reporting , documentation of medication events , teamwork and consistent checking of patients' medication during transitions . A culture of good teamwork promotes error reporting , learning from errors and continuous quality improvement .…”

“…A culture of good teamwork promotes error reporting , learning from errors and continuous quality improvement . This reduces the incidence of MEs, as demonstrated by a study on a collaboration between nurses and a hospital pharmacy . Reporting errors also creates opportunities to explore best practices and design functions to prevent errors from reoccurring .…”

“…Nurses need to know how medications affect patients' symptoms and diseases as well as possible risks and adverse reactions associated with medications . Medication safety therefore requires nurses to have knowledge about medicines and to be motivated to engage in lifelong learning about medication . To administer medication safely, nurses must consider the patient's age and polypharmacy , drug allergies , engage in patient educating and counselling and encourage the patient to engage with their own medication .…”

“…Medication safety therefore requires nurses to have knowledge about medicines and to be motivated to engage in lifelong learning about medication . To administer medication safely, nurses must consider the patient's age and polypharmacy , drug allergies , engage in patient educating and counselling and encourage the patient to engage with their own medication . It is important to recognise the risk of confusion between medicines and their packaging and the functionality of the space in which medications are handled .…”