For this summative assignment using a reflective model of my choice, I am going to critically reflect upon an aspect of my professional development which has been chosen from my professional portfolio. Reflective writing is considered a key component of portfolio assessment because it provides evidence of skills development and increasing clinical competence (Smith 2005). The topic of reflection which this assignment shall be based on and analyzed in more depth is a potential drug error being made whilst on my practice placement. The area of drug administration is a vital and important role of being a nurse.
This assignment shall incorporate the research evidence available surrounding the role of drug administration and how this area can be improved. Furthermore, I am going to reflect on my thoughts, feelings and beliefs about the incident which occurred. It will also consider the quality of care I delivered, the skills I developed in my training whilst on placement and also what I have learned from the incident thereafter. To enable me to reflect on this issue in more depth, I have chosen Gibbs model (1988) to guide my reflective process. (Gibbs 1998) (appendix I). The rationale behind choosing Gibbs (1998) model of reflection is that it is structured in six different stages. This allows a thorough account of the incident to be developed and later reflected on. Gibbs model (1998) goes through six important points to aid the reflective process, including description of incident, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion and finally action plan. Reflection is defined by Wilkinson (1996) as an active process whereby the professional gains an understanding of how historical, social, cultural, cognitive and personal experiences have contributed to professional knowledge and practice.
Tags: Gibbs reflective cycle for drug error, Reflective writing for drug error, Reflective analysis of drug errors, Reflective work on drug error
[...] I also was angry with myself as I had never made a potential drug error before on placement and I was ashamed that I had done so on that occasion. Since the incident, I felt as though I had lost my confidence in doing the drugs round. I now find myself constantly re-checking myself while doing the drugs round, as I am aware of the possible implications of such a severe potential mistake ever happening again. Hibberd & Norris (1992) found that when a nurse takes responsibility for an error, they may initially react negatively towards themselves for having potentially made the error in the first place. [...]
[...] (1999) The nurse's role in drug handling within municipal health and medical care. Journal of Advanced Nursing. Vol.30 p.950. Mayne, W., Jooton, D., Young, B., Marland, G., Harris, M., Lyttle, C.P. (2004) Enabling students to develop confidence in basic clinical skills. Nursing Times. Vol. 100(24) pp. 36-39. McNulty, L. (1999). Time to learn lessons from drug errors. Nursing Standard. Vol. 13(16) pp. 6-12. Newell, R. (1992). Anxiety, accuracy and reflection: the limits of professional development. Journal of Advanced Nursing. Vol.17. [...]
[...] Adverse events in drug administration. Journal of Nurse Management. Vol.11(2). pp.130-140. Benner, P. (1982). From novice to expert. American Journal of Nursing. Vol.82. pp. 402-407. Boud, D., Keogh, R. and Walker, D. (1985). Reflection: Turning Experience into Learning. London: Kegan Press. Clarke, M. (1994). Action and reflection: practice and theory in nursing. Journal of Advanced Nursing. Vol.11. pp.3-11. Department of Health. (2004). Building a Safer NHS for Patients: Improving Medication Safety. London: Department of Health. Dzik-Jurasz, D. (2001). A development programme for nurses. [...]
[...] Gladstone (1995) deems the potential for error in drug administration on the hospital ward makes this a problem of concern for all nursing staff. The professional and legal implications of admitting to errors may partly explain the reluctance on the part of nurses to publicize their errors. Action Plan From my experiences of the incident, I have learnt a valuable lesson. I no longer allow myself to be distracted from other members of staff, porters or relatives when I am in the process of administering medication. [...]
[...] Description The incident happened while on practice placement in a busy ward at my local hospital. I was assisting my mentor with the morning drugs round at our side of the ward which we were both looking after on that shift. As it was the morning, the ward was busy with porters taking patients to theatre and doctors coming to and fro to begin the ward round. During the drugs round I potentially nearly gave a patient the incorrect dosage of a drug as I was interrupted by one of the porters asking me where he could find the patient who he was there to collect to take down to theatre. [...]
APA Style reference
For your bibliographyOnline reading
with our online readerContent validated
by our reading committee
