Context of drug administrationMedic

Context of drug administration
Medication administration is one component of
medication management and is not carried out in
isolation. Administration of medicines is affected
by the environment in which this process occurs,
the structures and systems in place to support the
process, as well as the culture and expectations
of those in the healthcare setting. For example,
nurses will often speak to doctors to correct
prescribing errors rather than complete error
reports, nurses are interrupted frequently when
administering medications on wards (Biron et al
2009), searching hospital wards for equipment
to infuse drugs is common, and each department
will have its own systems for ordering, storing and
monitoring medications. Therefore, the systems
and culture of individuals and an organisation
can have a significant influence on whether a
medication error is made, and whether it is noticed
and reported. The need for a systems approach to
investigate errors in health care is an area that has
been highlighted and championed by the Clinical
Human Factors Group (Patient Safety First 2010),
and is essential to ensure patient safety.