Medical Errors In The Book 'The Wall Of Silence'

In the nursing program, we have learned ways to stop the recurrence of medical errors. Prior to reading The Wall of Silence, I personally have not encountered a medical error, but I have learned ways to prevent errors such as medication errors. The program focuses on ways to educate us, as future nurses, to reduce the recurrence of medical errors. It provides us the tools, resources, and knowledge on the consequences that medical errors may cause. There is a difference of learning about medical errors, verses reading about real life stories from the perspectives of the parents, nurses, and hospital staff. The Wall of Silence Part One was eye opening towards the fears, challenges, and consequences medical errors can lead to.

As I read the story

This is just an example of how frequent and how significant medication errors are. In my opinion medical errors occur more than they should, there are many contributing factors such as the lack of responsibility, accountability, and education. The book touched on the lack of knowledge that the healthcare providers have on the numbers of deaths that result from preventable medical errors. If institutions took the time to educate their staff, or have seminars where people like, Ilene, could share their story, this could positively impact patient care

In the nursing program, we have learned the importance of managing, correcting, and documenting medication errors. Taking preventative measures such as the six patient rights, three checks, verifying all the information with the patient. From what I have observed in my clinical settings, when a nurse commits a medication errors, the charge nurse and manger are notified. The chain of command is followed, and an incident report is filed. The patient is closely monitored for any adverse reactions. We are all humans, and yes, we make mistakes, but it is important to understand how those mistakes can affect your practice. As a nursing student, we have learned to use those tools to reduce medication errors, but in a case where it does occur, we have learned what steps need to be taken. I personally would be fearful to speak up initially, but I would have to overcome that fear. I would put my patient’s well-being first, because the patient and their family have trusted me with their health. Gibson and Singh (2003), mention that a nurse spoke on how the healthcare providers, including nurses, will try to cover up mistakes to avoid facing any consequences (CITE). Although it may be difficult to speak up about a mistake you made, if that mistake can have a negative impact on your patient’s care, that would be the time to advocate for your patients regardless of your