Date of Defense

4-19-2024

Date of Graduation

4-2024

Department

Nursing

First Advisor

Kelley Pattison

Second Advisor

Elissa Allen

Third Advisor

Helen Hicks

Abstract

We can recognize that to err is human, yet it may cost us great things, such as our jobs, licenses, and peace of mind. In nursing, 40% percent of the time is spent administering medication (Wolters Kluwer, 2022, p.15-17), which puts nurses and nursing students at an increased rate of making medication administration errors (MAE). The National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCCERP,2023) says medication error is any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the health care professional, patient, or consumer." Such events may be related to professional practice, health care products, procedures, and systems, including prescribing, order communication, product labeling, packaging, and nomenclature, compounding, dispensing, distribution, administration, education, monitoring, and use" (NCCERP, 2023). The FDA receives 100,000 reports of medication error suspicions yearly (FDA, 2019). Medication error consequences include adverse reactions that may lead to disability and even death.

In this paper, I will examine the effects of the fatal medication error in the RaDonda Vaught case and the perceptions of nursing students at Western Michigan University. I will focus on the medication process: prescribing, administering, dispensing, monitoring, and documenting. Medication errors can result from systematic, patient, doctor, and nurse factors (Unver et al., 2012). This paper will elaborate on the Just Culture model and its involvement. Results of the study illuminate consistent reports of fear that nursing students have if ever at risk of being criminally prosecuted for an event of a medication error.

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Open Access

Download

Included in

Nursing Commons

Share

COinS