Ethics and Legalities of Medication Errors Medication errors will always occur in any medical systems, being able to identify the cause and being able to correct and minimize future errors is essential to the delivery of high-quality care. Prescription error are amongst one of the highest medication errors in general practice areas and hospitals amongst providers but are rarely fatal (Velo & Minuz, 2009). As practitioners when mistakes are made we must be able to identify them and correct them as necessary quickly. The purpose of this paper is to discuss ethical and legal aspects of prescription errors in the state of Texas, steps for disclosing medication error to patients, describe my point of view on how would I communicate the error and the proper steps for prescription writing to minimize errors.
Ethics and Legal Aspect of Prescription Errors Medical errors are defined as an unintended act or one that has not achieved the desired outcome (Makray & Daniel, 2016). Recent studies performed by John Hopkins Medical University has shown that medical errors are the third leading cause of death just behind heart disease and cancer (Allen & Pierce, 2016). Working in the medical field makes us aware of medical errors that occur daily. One ethical…show more content… This rule is intended to provide nurses with a guide on reporting errors to determine whether the nurse has engaged in conduct that would pose a risk of harm to patients and others that should be reported immediately to the board of nursing (The State of Texas, 2004). When providers are truthful to patients about their errors, it creates a trust bond between patient and practitioner. When providers cover up, errors and mistakes can result in compromising of the mission of the health care organization (Wolf & Hughes,
