Medication error is one of the major causes for the morbidity and mortality of patients in the hospital settings. According to Hughes and Blegen (2008), it accounts for one out of 854 in-patient deaths. As defined by the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention, a medication error refers to any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate harm to a patient while the medication is under the control of a health professional (Cousins, 1998). Owing to the greater reliance of patients to medications as an indispensable part of their treatment, the occurrence of medication error has an implication towards patient safety issues. Nurses have the accountability to ensure that the patients are protected against the potential harm from medication error. Being one of the biggest concerns involving patient safety standards, this paper will discuss about the potential measures and indicators for the occurrence of medication error, underpinning the causes of why these happen and what can be done to improve the quality of patient care to avoid the potential harm caused by medication errors. In this paper, indicators that will be discussed regarding medication errors include the bar code safeguards (functionality of equipment and nursing workarounds), structural or environmental indicators in the hospital setting (staffing and organizational settings) and workplace facility and technology. These indicators will be measured using a qualitative review on the literatures and evidence based practice researches to help identify potential improvement in reducing medication errors and enhance patient safety in the hospital setting.
