3 Nurses may be familiar with the safe use of one type of machinery, but may make an error when using one that is unfamiliar. 6 Potassium chloride concentrate injection is one of the most dangerous drugs in a nursing unit, and it should not be there. It's been used to reconstitute medications or flush IV catheters after nurses mistook it for look-alike vials of sterile water for injection or 0.9 percent sodium chloride injection. 7 Eight of 10 incidents of patient death from the administration of potassium chloride were the result of the infusion of potassium chloride available as floor stock. A lack of knowledge and a lack of timely access to patient information are the root causes of physician medication prescribing errors.
Errors occur most often during the prescribing and administration stages.
For this reason, drug information must be readily accessible to all staff who prescribe and administer drugs. Staff should not interrupt a nurse involved in these activities. Long or double shifts also can contribute to med errors. Administrators should be aware that long shifts can cause fatigue that may lead to errors, which raise concerns about legal liability as well as patient health. Know the drug, the generic and trade names, and why it is needed.