Walden University – School of Nursing

NURS 6521: Advanced Pharmacology for the Nurse Practitioner

Assessment 2: Advanced Practice Medication Error Analysis and Care Plan

Type of Assessment:

Individual Written Paper (Evidence-Based Care Plan)

Word Count:

3–4 pages (approximately 1,000–1,200 words, excluding references)

Weighting:

30% of the overall course grade

Purpose and Context

Medication errors represent one of the most serious preventable events in healthcare, leading to patient harm, extended hospitalization, and professional accountability issues. Advanced practice nurses are responsible for ensuring safe prescribing, accurate medication administration, and effective system checks to protect patients. This assignment strengthens clinical reasoning and pharmacologic decision-making skills by developing a detailed care plan focused on preventing and responding to medication errors in clinical practice. Students are expected to demonstrate critical thinking, ethical awareness, and proficiency in evidence-based interventions.

Task Instructions

Prepare a 3–4 page care plan that analyzes a medication error incident within an advanced practice context. The paper should evaluate contributing factors, propose corrective actions, and integrate current pharmacological and ethical principles. Use the nursing process to organize the plan and apply clinical guidelines relevant to your chosen patient population or practice setting (e.g., acute care, mental health, primary care).

Content Requirements:

1. Select a clinical case involving a medication error or potential near-miss event in advanced practice.
2. Describe the patient context, including relevant health history, medications, and contributing conditions.
3. Identify the type of medication error (prescribing, dispensing, administering, or monitoring error) and its clinical impact.
4. Analyze the underlying causes, referencing pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, or communication breakdowns that contributed to the error.
5. Develop an evidence-based care plan using the nursing process to prevent similar incidents.
6. Integrate interprofessional strategies, ethical principles, and national medication safety standards.
7. Support all arguments with current peer-reviewed sources published between 2018 and 2026.

Formatting and Submission

• Follow APA 7th edition guidelines.
• Use a 12-point Times New Roman font, double spacing, and 1-inch margins.
• Include a title page and reference list.
• Submit the paper to the course portal under “Assessment 2 – Medication Error Care Plan.”

Evaluation Criteria (5-Criterion Rubric)

Criterion	Excellent (90–100%)	Proficient (80–89%)	Developing (70–79%)	Needs Improvement (Below 70%)
1. Clinical Case and Context	Presents a detailed and accurate description of the case with clear relevance to advanced nursing practice.	Provides a clear case description with adequate clinical relevance.	Case is presented with limited context or relevance.	Lacks adequate detail or clarity about the clinical case.
2. Analysis of Contributing Factors	Thoroughly analyzes contributing causes with reference to pharmacologic principles and system-level issues.	Analyzes contributing factors with some discussion of pharmacologic concepts.	Addresses causes superficially or without clear linkage to pharmacology.	Fails to analyze contributing factors or connect them to practice.
3. Care Plan Development	Develops a complete and practical plan based on the nursing process with clear preventive strategies.	Provides a structured plan with some preventive focus and practical recommendations.	Care plan is partially developed or lacks preventive focus.	Care plan is incomplete or missing key elements.
4. Use of Evidence and Ethical Considerations	Integrates recent evidence, ethical reasoning, and relevant practice standards throughout the discussion.	Applies evidence and ethical principles with occasional gaps or inconsistencies.	References limited or outdated evidence; minimal discussion of ethics.	Evidence and ethics not adequately addressed.
5. Academic Writing and APA Style	Writing is clear, coherent, and free from errors; APA formatting is correct.	Minor errors in grammar or APA style that do not affect clarity.	Several errors affecting readability or consistency.	Frequent grammatical or formatting errors impede understanding.

Medication errors often occur due to a combination of human and system-related factors. Developing an advanced practice care plan requires identifying where the process failed and introducing evidence-based safety measures. Consistent medication reconciliation, electronic prescribing tools, and patient engagement in self-administration protocols contribute significantly to reducing error frequency (Alomar et al., 2021).

References

1. Alomar, M., Alenazi, M., & Alsubaie, S. (2021). The impact of medication errors on patient safety in primary care. *International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy*, 43(4), 1004–1012. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11096-021-01289-5
2. Thomas, M. R., & Kim, D. S. (2020). Nurse practitioner responsibility in medication safety and patient outcomes. *Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners*, 32(9), 585–593. https://doi.org/10.1097/JXX.0000000000000418
3. World Health Organization. (2019). *Medication safety: WHO global patient safety challenge.* https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241511646
4. Institute for Safe Medication Practices. (2022). *2022–2023 Targeted medication safety best practices for hospitals.* https://www.ismp.org/guidelines/best-practices-hospitals