Professional Strategy

McDerby, N., Kosari, S., Bail, K., Shield, A., Peterson, G., &Naunton, M. (2019). The effect of a residential care pharmacist on medication administration practices in aged care: A controlled trial. Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics, 44(4), 595–602. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpt.12822

This article presents the professional strategies that health organizations can adopt to address the problem of medication errors. The researchers provide evidence of interventions that showed hospitals and units having an on-site clinical pharmacist could help reduce medication errors. The intervention minimizes and prevents the risk of errors such as inappropriate dosage form modification, time taken in medication administration, and optimization of documentation of pertinent information such as adverse drug reactions and medication incidents. The article shows that successful implementation of a medication safety program requires inter-professional support for best practices. Examples include the presence of open communication environment among the different healthcare providers involved in medication processes. Having an on-site pharmacist enables health organizations to identify the barriers and opportunities to medication safety. Nurses can use the article to advocate the inclusion of interprofessional teams into the implementation of strategies to curb medication administration errors. They can also use to propose the implementation of strategies that transform the existing organizational culture.

Bakhshi, F., Mitchell, R., Nasrabadi, A. N., Javadi, M., &Varaei, S. (2021). Clinician attitude towards safety in medication management: A participatory action research study in an emergency department. BMJ Open, 11(9), e047089. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-047089

The above article is a research that investigated the effects of clinician attitudes towards medication management. The authors demonstrate that the attitude that healthcare providers have towards medication and safety significantly affects the success of change initiatives that are adopted to promote quality outcomes in healthcare. The article shows that clinician's behavior in the medication processes largely depends on their attitudes towards medication safety. Implementing change initiatives in healthcare can see an increase in medication management and safety. The use of strategies such as participatory action research to address inefficiencies, may improve healthcare providers' attitude towards safety in medications use and management. In addition, it is evident from the article that provider-centered interventions such as seeking their input, increasing their participation, providing inter-professional courses, and participation in the development of medication management guidelines, improve safety in healthcare.

Health organizations should promote behavioral and attitudinal change among the healthcare providers through supporting continuous development of their staff and strengthening interdisciplinary approaches in medication management. The article is significant in nursing role by encouraging the need for the adoption of practices such as active interprofessional participation in the identification and implementation of change initiatives to enhance medication safety. The article also informs nurses and other healthcare providers to collaborate in implementing evidence-based strategies that reduce the risk of errors in medications use and management.

Jeong, H.-J., & Park, E.-Y. (2022). Patient-Nurse Partnerships to Prevent Medication Errors: A Concept Development Using the Hybrid Method. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(9), 5378. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095378

The above article is a crucial resource that examines the role of professional strategies such as creating therapeutic relationships with patients in preventing and minimizing the risk of medication errors. The authors argue that healthcare providers should proactively explore interventions that promote effective nurse or provider-patient relationship for medication safety. Nurses should strive for a relationship built on trust, openness, and honesty in the processes of medications management and use. The creation of an effective nurse-patient relationship requires each of the parties involved to corporate and be mutually responsible for achieving the set goals. Professional approaches such as effective communication, cooperation, respect, trust, mutual sharing of information, and fair relationship should inform the basis of the nurse-patient relationship.

The article demonstrates that a nurse-patient relationship is crucial in helping nurses to understand the actual and potential issues that affect medications use. It also empowers patients to be involved in achieving safe medication use in the disease management process. Nurses can use the article to develop professional behaviors that promote safety and quality in their practice. For example, nurses can perform self-assessment and reflective practice to identify their communication strengths and weaknesses in establishing nurse-patient relationship and use it as an opportunity for growth. Nurses can also use the article to advocate the creation of work environment characterized by the use of best professional practices that enhance medication safety and management