Analyzing a Current Healthcare Problem or Issue
NURS FPX4000 Assessment 3 Analyze a Current Health Care Problem or Issue highlighted in the previous assessment was a medication error that risks patient safety. This paper will further analyze this problem by using scholarly information and discussing the potential interventions while expanding upon the ethical principles.
Elements of the Issue
Medication errors are prevalent; it has been reported in a BMC journal by Shitu and others that in the US, there are about 1.5 million people harmed annually because of medication errors (Shitu et al., 2020). This journal and information were chosen as they highlight the issue’s prevalence and align with the focus of NURS FPX4000 Assessment 3. which involves analyzing a current healthcare problem or issue. It also talks about the causes of medication errors that are mostly related to time, dose, and unauthorized drugs (Shitu et al., 2020). Even though medication errors are serious, they are still avoidable. A medication error is an incident where a wrong medication or dose is administered to the patient that could cause harm. This event is preventable.
There can be several aspects and causes of medication errors that have to be highlighted to gain a deeper analysis of the issue. The most common type of medication error is either due to incorrect medication or an incorrectly identified patient (Tariq et al., 2022). The other types of errors are due to incorrect time, improper dose, incorrect route of administration, compliance, and monitory errors (Tariq et al., 2022).
NURS FPX4000 Assessment 3 Analyze Health Care Problem
Having the job of a medical transcriptionist, I must be aware of all the potential medication errors, ways to recognize them, and their causes. Patient safety should not be compromised as medication errors can turn out to be fatal for the patients. Any error in the transcription, confusion, or error must be reported to the administration or managers. As discussed before, a medication error is preventable. Several reviews have highlighted that preventing such errors relies on nurses’ adherence to the safety principles and ethical principles related to the patient (Vaismoradi et al., 2020). To improve patient outcomes., education must be provided to improve skills, reduce time pressure, improve patient safety climate, improve encouragement, and improve communication between the healthcare staff and patients (Vaismoradi et al., 2020).
Even though most of the people taking medication are at risk for medication errors, the most vulnerable populations are children (ATrain Education, n.d.). It has been reported that around 200,000 children under 17 have to visit the emergency department (ED) due to adverse events. Most children visiting the ED are under five years old (ATrain Education, n.d.).
NURS FPX4000 Assessment 3 Analyze a Current Health Care Issue
Most of the medication errors can be due to a system failure that could be poor professional communication, failure to obtain history related to allergies, inaccurate or unavailable patient information, inaccurate transcription, failure in tracking orders of medication, and lack of drug knowledge (Tariq et al., 2022). The failures related to the employee could be forgetfulness, illegible writing, carelessness, hurrying, negligence, and poor motivation (Tariq et al., 2022). These employee-related failures can be most related to poor workplace culture, high workload, lack of monitoring, lack of calculations, and inexperienced staff. Lack of communication is also a significant problem that can either be due to language barriers, lack of knowledge, and lack of understanding, or collect being able to address these failures can result in adverse events that can be life-threatening for the patients making them lose trust in the organization.
Potential Solutions
The potential solutions for medication errors can be implementing technology for safe medication administration, enhancing communication and collaboration with workshops, and providing training to the staff to increase accountability and knowledge regarding medication errors. The training and implementation of technology can help raise awareness regarding medication errors so they can be prevented to improve the quality of care. The consequences for ignoring the issue are either temporary sides effects like rashes or fatal effects that can harm the patient severely (Qlicksmart, 2020). The healthcare providers who are accountable for the error can suffer from depression, guilt, and shame, becoming a second victim of the event (Qlicksmart, 2020). Patients and family members can also file a lawsuit which could lead the organization to investigate and have heavy costs to be spent.
Implementation
Hospitals can implement a bar-code medication administration (BCMA) system to safely administer medications (Naidu & Alicia, 2019). This system scans the barcode on the medication to assess its appropriateness for the patient. Simultaneously, it scans the barcode label on the patient’s information from the system or wrist. It keeps in check with the patient’s history to ensure patient safety.
According to a study, BCMA has successfully reduced the medication error rate from 0.65 per 100,000 cases to 0.29 (Naidu & Alicia, 2019). This marks a significant improvement, ensuring the administration of the right drug to the right patient, at the right dose, and at the right time. It also reduces the workload of the nurses when it comes to manually prescribing medications.
Ethical Principles by NURS FPX4000 Assessment 3
For the ethical implementation of BCMA, the system can store patient information that requires interpretation. Barcodes hold sensitive information, potentially placing the patient in a vulnerable position if leaked or breached. It is important to maintain patient confidentiality by ensuring that the data stored is safe without any risks of breaches.
The Code of Ethics can also be followed by the American Nurse Association. Which has four principles of beneficence, autonomy, nonmaleficence, and justice (Gaines, 2022).With the potential solution of BCMA, autonomy should be maintained. Even though the system is automated, patients should still be educated about the medication. This ensures they have informed consent and a role in decision-making. Additionally, this potential solution aligns with the rest of the principles of nonmaleficence. Ensuring no harm is caused to the patient, and the principle of beneficence is to act good to the patients. It is essential to respect the patients and be empathetic to them. No patient should be denied treatment or administration through BCMA to ensure justice.
Might be helpful for you: NHS FPX 4000 Assessment 1 Applying Ethical Principles
Conclusion
In NURS FPX4000 Assessment 3 Analyze a Current Health Care Problem or Issue: Patient safety is imperative for the reduction of medication errors. This is to promote a safety culture with accountability by implementing solutions that reduce the system’s failures. Those implementing the solution should align it with ethical principles and standards. The potential solutions can be implementing technology like BCMA, training staff members, and workshops to enhance communication and collaboration.
References
ATrain Education. (n.d.). 5. Vulnerable Populations | ATrain Education. https://www.atrainceu.com/content/5-vulnerable-populations
Gaines, K. (2022). What is the Nursing Code of Ethics? Nurse.org. https://nurse.org/education/nursing-code-of-ethics/
Qlicksmart. (2020, October 27). Impact of Medication Errors on Patients, Healthcare Providers, and Hospitals. Qlicksmart – Sharps Safety Solutions for Surgical and Medical Professionals. https://www.qlicksmart.com/impact-medication-errors/
Naidu, M., & Alicia, Y. L. Y. (2019). Impact of Bar-Code Medication Administration and Electronic Medication Administration Record System in clinical practice for an effective medication administration process. Health, 11(05), 511–526. https://doi.org/10.4236/health.2019.115044
Shitu, Z., Aung, M. M. T., Tuan Kamauzaman, T. H., & Ab Rahman, A. F. (2020). Prevalence and characteristics of medication errors at an emergency department of a teaching hospital in Malaysia. BMC Health Services Research, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-020-4921-4
Tariq, R., Vashisht, R., Sinha, A., & Scherbak, Y. (2022). Medication Dispensing Errors And Prevention. StatPearls. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519065/
Qlicksmart. (2020, October 27). Impact of Medication Errors on Patients, Healthcare Providers, and Hospitals. Qlicksmart – Sharps Safety Solutions for Surgical and Medical Professionals. https://www.qlicksmart.com/impact-medication-errors/Vaismoradi, M., Tella, S., Logan, P., Khakurel, J., & Vizacaya-Moreno, F. (2020). Nurses’ adherence to patient safety principles: A systematic review. Nurses’ Adherence to Patient Safety Principles: A Systematic Review. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17062028
Healthcare ethics urges the requirement of mastering ethical pitfalls that can merely be achieved if they have a ground of thorough-going ethical principles [that are] used as a primary tool to produce the decision. The process is superficial and follows onto a case study of Dr. Clark and Mr. Patel. The obstacles they face with language, cultural competence, and the ethics of the cure are imaged in the case. A formula of communication strategies, a model of ethical decision-making, and a solution based on moral norms are the principal aims of this bulletin, with the objective of displaying the numerous natures of ethical health care.
Cultural Competence and Effective Communication
Nurs fpx 4000 assessment 3 Cultural sensitivity is an essential consideration in the process of meeting the needs of a diverse client group, as shown in the literature by (Brooks et al., 2019). Communication strategies that are adapted to different medical cultures and surroundings and that are understood by patients are favorable for creating a mutual understanding and trust between specialists and patients. Dr. Clark’s attempt to bridge the cultural gap by supplementing his appointments with translations, allowances for time, and cultural consideration are helpful strategies noted in migrant and refugee healthcare literature. With the help of the science of language translation and cultural sensitivity, Dr. Clark is showing the degree of her attention to a patient-centered approach.
Ethical Principles and Patient Autonomy
Seeking autonomy and beneficence as ethical principles, Dr. Clark is founded while offering the compelling of the scenario. (Varkey, 2020) study underscores the central role of respect for the autonomy of patients during clinical practice while also highlighting the necessity of creating the best possible benefit for these patients. The doctor responsible for Mr. Patel’s surgery, the one who ensures his understanding of the procedure matches the ethical code of patient autonomy, does well. So, this authoritative evidence illuminates the moral basis of the physician’s attitude and the overall guideline for the individual-centered method.
Utilization of Verbal and Visual Aids:
Dr. Clark uses oral instruction and also visual images to help Mr. Patel understand the surgical procedure on her. Oral communication, although necessary for passing the rearing to patients with the primary English language, only prudent visual aids are more suitable to increase comprehension. As per the publication (Mehra & Mishra, 2021), the merging of multiple types of communication can help in efforts to improve patient knowledge and, in turn, patient satisfaction. That is why Dr. Clark’s application of these tools to assist in better communication with patients is notable and should continue to yield more favorable outcomes.
Interpreter Services and Cultural Sensitivity:
By depicting the events where the services of interpreters would be engaged, the case study demonstrates the conversations that Dr. Clark had with Mr. Patel. Nevertheless, dual issues arise, which include recruiting competent interpreters and overcoming related difficulties of medical specialty terminology. The effectiveness level can be improved only when such an arbor seems like a professional interpreter who can speak Gujarati fluently. The cultural sensitivity training of interpreters and the healthcare staff is desirable since it would help in overcoming culture-bound language barriers and would be more effective in the communication process (Krampe et al., 2022). Being culturally aware when interpreting healthcare can build trust and good relationships between healthcare providers and patients from different cultural backgrounds.
Avoidance of Assumptions and Simplification:
Dr. Clark’s insistence on nods and smiles solely from Mr. Patel in their consultations as a measure of trust is a problem for her undivided reason. One of the most common areas for improvement of a web-based medical consultation is the desire to make an assumption rather than a confirmation of comprehension, which can result in a misunderstanding and compromise the quality of informed consent. Instead of focusing on delivering information alone, healthcare providers ought to adopt a patient-based approach that does not shy away from evaluating the degree of understanding and also squarely takes care of any uncertainties. In the case of complicated medical terminology, simple language is one more tool for an increased level of patient comprehension (Gotlieb et al., 2022). Avoiding any misunderstandings comes from the avoidance of assumptions and opting for a clear communication style to foster a collaborative and shared decision-making attitude.
Alignment with Ethical Decision-Making Model:
In Dr. Clark’s case study, the strategy used for ethical decision-making followed patient autonomy and beneficence. The ethical distress generated by the disclosure of requirements of informed consent and cultural competence speaks about her moral clarity, and her efforts demonstrate moral judgment by making Mr. Patel aware. Dr. Clark exemplifies ethical behavior in the healthcare setting in her attempt to overcome language and cultural barriers using appropriate communication strategies to provide patient-focused care.
Consequences of Effective Approach:
An effective strategy adopted by Dr. Clark increases patient trust and strengthens communication; it also encourages individuals’ participation, and the whole process becomes patient-centric. By emphasizing the way patients explain the case and contribute to the process of making decisions, Dr. Clark reinforces the quality of the relationship between the patient and the doctor and conducts ethical principles. On top of that, she deals with legal and language problems, and by so doing, she lowers the possibility of misinterpretations and any adverse outcomes that may be caused by not having consent signed by the patient.
Consequences of Noneffective Approach:
We need a practical approach marked with insufficient communication and a non-sensitive attitude towards cultural diversity that may lead to adverse outcomes. This could result in cases of misunderstandings, dependence, and loss of self-decision among patients, as well as in the lack of faith in medical centers. The case of neglecting language barriers and cultural differences could be grim in the case of not considering them, which can cause wrong health outcomes and ethical misconduct. Tacitly, methodologies other than client-oriented ones are detrimental, breaking the moral foundation of medical services.
Applying Ethical Principles to Solve Proposed Problem
Cultural Competence and Patient Autonomy:
While the language and cultural service cover of healthcare staff may be a resolution to this ethical problem, training them in these fields seems essential. This model bears in line with moral criteria as well as values such as support for patient self-determination and cultural adaptation. By implementing language-concordant care and personalized communication, healthcare professionals not only maintain the principle of autonomy but also ensure that individuals like Mr. Patel have the necessary information and disease knowledge. Patients will be able to make an informed choice of what they prefer for their health while accessing quality health care even when their linguistic or cultural background won’t pose an issue.
Equitable Healthcare Delivery:
The plan at hand contributes through the provision of minimal systemic barriers to communication and understanding, which in turn leads to equitable healthcare delivery. Healthcare ethics entails rendering care fairly and equitably to all patients despite the diversity of people’s language or ethnic backgrounds. Healthcare stakeholders advance the cause of equity and justice by allocating linguistic services as well as cultural competence training. It is the one that addresses the unique customers’ requirements and attempts to equalize the gaps in health care.
Enhanced Patient-Provider Relationship:
The suggested solution provides patients and healthcare providers with a platform to trust and maintain a relationship. Through their linguistic and cultural sensitivity, medical practitioners indicate their patients’ differences and thus the honor they deserve. Through this empathy, a trusting relationship is established, and the patient’s satisfaction increases. Ethical healthcare instituted in daily practice ensures communication in interactions based on trust and mutual respect between patient and healthcare provider. The proposed solution not only offers an immediate solution to the ethical conflict but is also part of the broader ethical culture within service delivery.
