The Need to Address Hospital Politics in Order to Reduce Medication Errors: A Case Study

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Abstract
The report issued by the Institute of Medicine, To Err is Human—Building a Safer Health System, clearly illustrates the unacceptably high rates of medical errors that cause injury and death to patients in the United States. Failure Mode and Effects Analysis presents one way to analyze the causes of errors involving medications. By using Failure Mode and Effects Analysis, nurses, as the caregivers most directly involved with patients, may be able to see system flaws that lead to medication errors. Nurses are thus well positioned to be able to contribute to the reduction of medication errors. However, they will not be able to do so unless their observations are given credence by physicians and hospital administrators, and they develop political skills to enhance their power base for effective action.