• If you are in a rush, you may misread a medication and assume it is a different drug. A large portion of medication errors can be avoided if health professionals pay attention and simply take their time.
• Clarification is very important to ensure the right drug gets to the right patient. If you are receiving a verbal or telephone order, repeat back the medication, dose, route, frequency, and, if possible, what it is to be used for. If you are unsure of what the order is, ask to have the medication spelled out to avoid any confusion.
• The same rules apply for written orders. If a drug name is poorly transcribed, it is better to take the time to make certain what medication is required.
• Educating coworkers is another step towards accurate administration. If you recognized a potential look-alike or sound-alike error, one of your fellow nurses could mistake the same drug too.
• And finally, remember that no one is flawless. The pharmacists, physicians, and nursing staff are all at risk of making a medication error. We are all human, after all, but by taking these strategies into consideration, we can greatly reduce the potential for look-alike/sound-alike errors.
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