Liquid medication dosing errors

BACKGROUND: Our goal was to examine the following issues relevant to the use of liquid medications: (1) which liquid medication dosing devices are commonly owned and used; (2) the ability of potential patients to accurately measure liquids using 3 different dosing devices; (3) their ability to correctly interpret a variety of dosing instructions; and (4) their ability to correctly interpret a pediatric dosing chart. METHODS: One hundred thirty volunteers from the waiting areas of 3 primary care clinics in the St. Paul, Minnesota, area were interviewed. Participants were shown 7 liquid dosing devices and were asked which they had in their homes and which they had ever used. The participants were tested and scored on their ability to measure liquid medicines and interpret dosing instructions accurately. The total performance score was determined, with a maximum obtainable score of 11. RESULTS: A household teaspoon was the device most frequently used for measuring liquid medication. Women and participants with more education had higher total performance scores. Common errors included misinterpreting instructions, confusing teaspoons and tablespoons on a medicine cup, and misreading a dosage chart when weight and age were discordant. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians need to be aware that many people continue to use inaccurate devices for measuring liquid medication, such as household spoons. They should encourage the use of more accurate devices, particularly the oral dosing syringe. Clinicians should always consider the possibility of a medication dosing error when faced with an apparent treatment failure.     

Redesigning nursing activities to reduce medication errors in pediatrics

Quasi-experimental study which aimed to verify the influence of nursing activities redesign in the reduction of medication errors in three pediatrics wards of a university hospital. Types and frequencies of medication errors identified in a study carried through the wards guided the redesign and exerted the function of dependent variable in the assessment of the intervention. To errs identification 556 documents on 77 children's medical charts were analyzed. In 8550 medication doses analyzed, in 1498 (17,5%) errors were evidenced, an inferior ratio (21,1%) of the control study. Globally the intervention generated small changes in medication errors ratio and type, being effective to reduce dose omission (p< 0.0001), medication suspended by physicians and not registered as suspended for the nurses (p<0.0001) and wrong hour (p= 0,0002).     

Strategies to decrease medication errors

Medication errors present a significant hazard to patient safety and have been increasingly in the news as studies correlate the nursing shortage and patient death. This article discusses strategies to decrease medication errors and increase patient safety during medication administration.     

规范发育行为儿科门诊

发育行为儿科门诊既要遵循儿科的基本程序,也要进行多维度的评估包括生长测量、行为观察、发育和心理测试等。然后根据诊断标准(DSM-5、ICD-10、DSM-PC等)和临床特征做出诊断,并要在诊断过程中注意4个方面:功能损害、综合分析评估结果、发育年龄与行为及共病。最后进行干预和治疗,诸如行为矫正、家庭干预、药物治疗、心理治疗、康复等。     

Reconciliation failures lead to medication errors

Poor communication of medical information at transition points of care--at admission, transfer, and discharge--often results in medication errors, but various strategies can reduce the likelihood of error.     

Abbreviations formally linked to medication errors

Study shows nearly 5% of the 643,151 errors reported to Medmarx were attributable to abbreviation use. Many of the 'problem' abbreviations were on The Joint Commission's 'do not use' list. Reporting often found to be inaccurate and/or incomplete.