Worked Examples: Medication Errors and Near-Misses

Medication errors are among the most commonly tested patient safety topics in the UCAT SJT. The NHS estimates that medication errors contribute to over 700 deaths per year and cost the health service approximately £98.5 million annually. Because of their prevalence and severity, SJT scenario writers return to this topic repeatedly.

This lesson walks through detailed worked examples, showing you how to apply the SAFE framework to medication error scenarios.

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Types of Medication Errors

Before we work through examples, understand the categories of medication errors you may encounter: