Reducing Medical And Medication Errors

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to learn:

• Discuss the prevalence of medical errors in the United States.
• Describe the efforts to reduce medical errors at the national and state levels.
• List the incentives for healthcare providers and facilities to reduce medical errors.
• List the most common types of medical errors that occur in healthcare settings.
• List factors that increase the risk of medical errors.
• Discuss prevention of medical errors in special needs population.
• List recommendations on reducing or eliminating medical and medication errors.
• List steps in improving patient safety through prompt reporting of errors. Identify the responsibilities of healthcare providers for prompt reporting of medical errors.
• Discuss JACHO’s patient safety goals.
• Identify changes that could be made to systems and processes (Root Cause Analysis) to improve performance and reduce the risk of recurrence of adverse events.
• Discuss the role of electronic medical records (EMRs) and other information technology to improve communication and patient safety in hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
• Discuss public education and awareness measures related to patient safety.