Medical Error Prevention - 3 Hours

Course Purpose

Builds practical nursing skills to prevent medication errors through verification, reconciliation, clear communication, safe documentation, and systems-based reporting.

Continuing Education Credit Designation

This educational activity is credited for 3 contact hours at completion of the activity.

Overview

After completing this course, nurses will be able to identify medication-use risks from prescribing through monitoring and apply reliable safeguards before, during, and after administration. Learners will also be able to reconcile medications, clarify unsafe orders, perform independent double checks when indicated, document accurately, and report errors and near misses to support system improvement.

Objectives

Upon completion of this independent study, the learner will be able to:

1. Differentiate medication errors, adverse drug events, near misses, and hazardous conditions using current patient-safety terminology.
2. Apply patient identification, medication verification, dose calculation, administration, documentation, and monitoring safeguards to clinical scenarios.
3. Perform medication reconciliation at transitions of care and resolve clinically significant discrepancies.
4. Demonstrate safe handling of verbal orders, error-prone dose expressions, high-alert medications, and look-alike or sound-alike names.
5. Select appropriate responses to a medication error or near miss, including immediate patient assessment, escalation, documentation, disclosure support, and safety reporting.
6. Identify environmental and system changes that reduce interruptions, workarounds, storage errors, and medication-related harm.

Who this course is for:

Advanced Practice Registered Nurses, registered nurses, licensed practical or vocational nurses, and other healthcare providers in any setting who want continuing education on Medical Error Prevention - 3 Hours.

Course outline

16 sections · finish in any order across devices

1. 1

   Case Study

2. 2

   Case Study Response

3. 3

   Introduction

4. 4

   Medication Errors

5. 5

   Follow the Six Rights of Medication Administration

6. 6

   Follow Proper Medication Reconciliation Procedures

7. 7

   Double Check Prior to Medication Administration

8. 8

   Verify a Verbal Order Through Read Back

9. 9

   Use a Name Alert for Common Names

10. 10

    Place a Zero in Front of the Decimal Point

11. 11

    Document Appropriately

12. 12

    Store Medications Correctly

13. 13

    Eliminate Distractions

14. 14

    Learn the Facility’s Policies on Medication

15. 15

    Use a Drug Book

16. 16

    Conclusion

This Course Satisfies

Requirement summaries come from our state requirement records. All Users of Fast CE For Less’s website and content are responsible for knowing their state’s license and renewal requirements.

Update history