Medication Administration Errors
A nurse gives a patient the correct drug but at the wrong time. What kind of error is this?
✅ Answer: Wrong Time Error
A nurse mishears a verbal prescription and gives 50 mg instead of 5 mg. What type of error is this?
✅ Answer: Verbal Order Misheard
A nurse labels a syringe incorrectly before administering the medication. What type of error is this?
✅ Answer: Incorrect Labeling Error
A patient is allergic to penicillin, but this is not recorded in their medical file. What error is this?
✅ Answer: Allergy Overlooked
A patient is given two drugs that interact dangerously, leading to severe side effects. What type of error is this?
✅ Answer: Drug Interaction Missed
A doctor prescribes Paracetamol, but the pharmacist dispenses Ibuprofen instead. What type of error is this?
✅ Answer: Wrong Drug Error
A nurse gives the right medication but forgets to document it in the MAR. What error is this?
✅ Answer: Documentation Error
A pharmacist dispenses expired medication to a patient. What type of error is this?
✅ Answer: Dispensing Error
A nurse fails to reconcile a patient’s home medications with hospital prescriptions, leading to duplicate drug therapy. What is this called?
✅ Answer: Medication Reconciliation Failure
A nurse administers a high-alert drug that looks similar to another medication, leading to an error. What type of confusion is this?
✅ Answer: Look-Alike, Sound-Alike (LASA) Drug Confusion
A nurse forgets to give a scheduled antibiotic dose. What kind of medication error is this?
✅ Answer: Omission Error
A doctor writes a prescription in illegible handwriting, leading to a wrong drug being given. What error is this?
✅ Answer: Unreadable Handwriting Error
A patient develops a severe rash after taking a prescribed antibiotic. What type of reaction is this?
✅ Answer: Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR)
A patient receives another patient’s medication due to an ID mix-up. What type of error is this?
✅ Answer: Wrong Patient Error
A nurse administers concentrated potassium chloride intravenously instead of diluted, causing cardiac arrest. What is this type of severe error called?
✅ Answer: Sentinel Event
A medication meant to be taken orally is administered intravenously. What type of error is this?
Wrong Route Error
A patient is supposed to receive a medication every 6 hours, but a nurse gives it every 4 hours instead. What kind of error is this?
✅ Answer: Wrong Frequency Error
A nurse fails to check a patient’s vital signs after giving a high-risk drug. What error is this?
✅ Answer: Monitoring Error
A doctor prescribes a medication that interacts dangerously with another drug the patient is taking. What kind of error is this?
✅ Answer: Prescribing Error
A high-risk chemotherapy drug is given without a second nurse verifying the dosage. What error is this?
✅ Answer: Lack of Double-Checking
A nurse administers Hydromorphone instead of Morphine due to similar names. What type of error is this, and how can it be prevented?
Look-Alike, Sound-Alike (LASA) Error – Prevented by Tall Man Lettering & Double-Checking
A pharmacist notices a dangerous prescription error before dispensing the medication. What is this situation called?
✅ Answer: Near Miss
A nurse hesitates to report a medication error out of fear of punishment. What is this called, and why is it dangerous?
✅ Answer: Self-Reporting Hesitation – It prevents learning from errors and can put patients at risk.
A nurse incorrectly calculates a pediatric medication dose, leading to an overdose. What type of error is this?
✅ Answer: Calculation Mistake
Name three strategies to prevent medication errors.
(Bonus Challenge! 🎉)- 500+=
✅ Answer: