Medication errors can have serious – and, even, deadly – impacts on nursing home residents. Nevertheless, they are a common problem in too many nursing homes. Too often, medication is given to residents in a manner that conflicts with manufacturer’s instructions or professional standards of care.
Access this fact sheet, developed by the Long Term Care Community Coalition, which contains information on standards to protect residents from medication errors. Regulations require that nursing home facilities work to ensure that 1) medication error rates are not 5 percent or greater; and 2) residents are free of any significant medication errors.
| Common Medication Errors: | Common Medication Errors that Could Lead to a Citation: |
| ✓ Taking a medication dose late ✓ Underdosing ✓ Omitted dose ✓ Multidrug interactions or side effects ✓ Giving drugs that would cause harm due to underlying medical diagnoses ✓ Unsafe mixing of medication |
✓ Dispensing the wrong medication ✓ Giving medication via the wrong route ✓ Giving expired medication ✓ Giving the wrong or extra dose |
Medication Errors: 42 C.F.R. § 483.45(f); F-759 & F-7601¹
“To prepare and ensure your facility is identifying and addressing medication errors in your facility, it is important to know your facility’s medication effort rate. Work with your pharmacist and medical director to discuss best practices to avoid hospital readmissions, prevent medication errors and perform medication administration competencies with facility and agency staff,” shared Susan Wilcox, RN; Great Plains Quality Innovation Network Quality Improvement Advisor.
- Access the complete list of F-tags here
Fact Sheet: Medication Errors in Nursing Homes – NursingHome411
Visit the Learning Center of the Coalition website for standards relating to drug regimen review, freedom from unnecessary drugs, and the use of psychotropic drugs.
If you need assistance or have questions, please contact a member of the Great Plains Quality Innovation Network nursing home team or visit our Web site for more information.