Reports about the impact medication errors have on patients and their families as well as healthcare providers are frequently in the news. Hospitals, government agencies, drug manufacturers, and The Joint Commission (TJC) are all trying to create strategies to decrease and even eradicate these costly mistakes.
This two-part series focuses on the foundation of medication delivery to patients in all settings: the Eight Rights of Medication Administration. In the first program, each of these rights is explained in detail and demonstrated using vignettes. Throughout, the National Patient Safety Goals developed by TJC are highlighted. The second program is a series of case studies. Here, the learner is encouraged to use critical thinking skills to apply the information he or she has seen in the first video by recognizing the medication errors made as well as ways in which these mistakes could have been avoided.