I''m on rotation and am having accuracy problems filling. Whether it's forgetting to circle controls, wrong product, etc. I mistake always gets through. How does one minimize these errors? How serious is this during rotation (I don't have much retail experience.)
cant be accurate over an 8 hour day
- Thread starter clarkbar
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It's serious if it reaches the patient. If you have a preceptor that still checks your work and catches the error, that's good, but if you're the final check and it gets past you, that's a real problem.
When filling or verifying, be consistent in your routine. When you fill, check drug name, strength, form, ndc, quantity. If verifying, you also have to check that it's the right patient, directions, prescriber, etc.
owlegrad
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I used to make a lot of errors myself. One thing that helps is experience. The other is just be really really through. Check everything every time. Do not rush. Learn from your mistakes and do not beat yourself up so much that you are not learning from them. Better to make them now than when you are a pharmacist.
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We are all humans and make mistakes. I know it can get a bit overwhelming doing so many tasks as the same time, but with experience and patience, you get better. Personally, I try to stay calm and take it one step at a time.
This is probably going to sound very strange but if you like them, and if your workplace is fairly informal I suggest you try eating sunflower seeds (with the shells). I have NO idea why this works so well, but I have exceptional focus when I eat them. I eat them when I do my southern Cali trips, I'm in the Portland area of Oregon and it's a long trip to say the least, but I feel like I NEVER get tired and I'm very focused the entire time. Just give it a show, there's tons of flavors and it's not caffiene, plus they're stupid cheap...worth a shot right?
the insanity!!!
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Every now and then I sit next to a coworker eating sunflower seeds. Annoying as hell. The sound made by the shell breaking in the mouth and the subsequent spurting the said shell fragments out of the mouth into a plastic cup is just gross.
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Try having to work with people who use tobacco dip.
When I worked in nuclear power, several of my coworkers developed the habit. They got into the habit of carrying around empty coke bottles as their receptacle.
We eventually had an order issued declaring that all such bottles be wrapped in red tape to prevent any "further" incidents involving drinking from the wrong bottle.
Hence why I talked about the workplace environment? Would you rather he be screwing up all the time? lol
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A pharmacist at any new job is going to have a higher error rate than a pharmacist who's been working that job for awhile. This is going to be even more so for a brand new pharmacist (or intern) or someone switching practice sites (ie retail to hospital or hospital to retail.) Every job has its unique variable--learning the computer system, learning the workflow, learing the doctors handwriting & unique prescribing habits, etc.
Experience and practice will lessen your error rate. But all humans make mistakes, and while people don't like to admit this, all pharmacists make mistakes. Even a 0.01% error rate leads to a lot of mistakes. Take the time to check thoroughly, don't let your boss or a customer make you rush....better to get fired for being too slow, than to be facing legal problems because of a misfil.
Learn about common errors & then be extra diligent in checking those medications. Always triple check high risks prescriptions (ie coumadin)--you are going to make mistakes, but you don't want it to be on a medication where a small mistake can have disastrous results. Regular release vs SR release meds are a common source of errors, so carefully check the dosage forms for medications that are available both as IR & SR. Amoxicillin & Augmentin are also common mixed up, so check those carefully.
ISMP has a newsletter that highlights errors--it's a good source to learn from the errors or potential errors that others have made. Knowing the potential errors that can be made, will help you to be aware of them & to check for them. http://www.ismp.org/newsletters/default.asp
It's best to read the script yourself, THEN check what the technician typed....otherwise confirmation bias can lead you to not catch mistakes.
Think about the routine that works best for you. It may take some practice to get your routine right & will depend on your your computer system is set up, so that you are always checking the elements of the RX in the same order. Skipping around the elements, makes it likely that something won't get checked, that is why its important to check the elements in the same order on each RX.
I would expect that most preceptors will be understanding of people making errors during rotation--rotation is supposed to be a learning experience. Just make sure you learn from your error, think about why that error may have happened & if there is anything you can do to prevent the error in the future. As others have mentioned, make sure your blood sugar is stable--eat snacks & drink water as you need to, to keep your concentration focused.
You will undoubtedly improve as you gain more experience, so hang in there, and try not to be too discouraged by errors.
Experience and practice will lessen your error rate. But all humans make mistakes, and while people don't like to admit this, all pharmacists make mistakes. Even a 0.01% error rate leads to a lot of mistakes. Take the time to check thoroughly, don't let your boss or a customer make you rush....better to get fired for being too slow, than to be facing legal problems because of a misfil.
Learn about common errors & then be extra diligent in checking those medications. Always triple check high risks prescriptions (ie coumadin)--you are going to make mistakes, but you don't want it to be on a medication where a small mistake can have disastrous results. Regular release vs SR release meds are a common source of errors, so carefully check the dosage forms for medications that are available both as IR & SR. Amoxicillin & Augmentin are also common mixed up, so check those carefully.
ISMP has a newsletter that highlights errors--it's a good source to learn from the errors or potential errors that others have made. Knowing the potential errors that can be made, will help you to be aware of them & to check for them. http://www.ismp.org/newsletters/default.asp
It's best to read the script yourself, THEN check what the technician typed....otherwise confirmation bias can lead you to not catch mistakes.
Think about the routine that works best for you. It may take some practice to get your routine right & will depend on your your computer system is set up, so that you are always checking the elements of the RX in the same order. Skipping around the elements, makes it likely that something won't get checked, that is why its important to check the elements in the same order on each RX.
I would expect that most preceptors will be understanding of people making errors during rotation--rotation is supposed to be a learning experience. Just make sure you learn from your error, think about why that error may have happened & if there is anything you can do to prevent the error in the future. As others have mentioned, make sure your blood sugar is stable--eat snacks & drink water as you need to, to keep your concentration focused.
You will undoubtedly improve as you gain more experience, so hang in there, and try not to be too discouraged by errors.
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