An observational study of drug administration errors in a Malaysian hospital (study of drug administration errors)

Background and objective: Drug administration errors were the second most frequent type of medication errors, after prescribing errors but the latter were often intercepted hence, administration errors were more probably to reach the patients. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the frequency and types of drug administration errors in a Malaysian hospital ward. Methods: This is a prospective study that involved direct, undisguised observations of drug administrations in a hospital ward. A researcher was stationed in the ward under study for 15 days to observe all drug administrations which were recorded in a data collection form and then compared with the drugs prescribed for the patient. Results: A total of 1118 opportunities for errors were observed and 127 administrations had errors. This gave an error rate of 11·4 % [95% confidence interval (CI) 9·5–13·3]. If incorrect time errors were excluded, the error rate reduced to 8·7% (95% CI 7·1–10·4). The most common types of drug administration errors were incorrect time (25·2%), followed by incorrect technique of administration (16·3%) and unauthorized drug errors (14·1%). In terms of clinical significance, 10·4% of the administration errors were considered as potentially life‐threatening. Intravenous routes were more likely to be associated with an administration error than oral routes (21·3% vs. 7·9%, P < 0·001). Conclusion: The study indicates that the frequency of drug administration errors in developing countries such as Malaysia is similar to that in the developed countries. Incorrect time errors were also the most common type of drug administration errors. A non‐punitive system of reporting medication errors should be established to encourage more information to be documented so that risk management protocol could be developed and implemented.     

Prescription and transcription errors in multidose‐dispensed medications on discharge from hospital: an observational and interventional study

Background Medication errors frequently occur when patients are transferred between health care settings. The main objective of this study was to investigate the frequency, type and severity of prescribing and transcribing errors for drugs dispensed in multidose plastic packs when patients are discharged from the hospital. The secondary objective was to correct identified errors and suggest measures to promote safe prescribing. Methods The drugs on the patients' multidose drug dispensing (MDD) order sheets and the medication administration records were reconciled prior to the MDD orders being sent to the pharmacy for dispensing. Discrepancies were recorded and the prescribing physician was notified and given the opportunity to change the order. Discrepancies categorized as unintentional and related to the discharge process were subject to further analysis. Results Seventy‐two (25%) of the 290 reviewed MDD orders had at least one discharge error. In total, 120 discharge errors were identified, of which 49 (41%) were assessed as being of moderate and three (3%) of major severity. Orders with a higher number of medications and orders from the orthopaedic wards had a significantly higher error rate. Conclusion The main purpose of the MDD system is to increase patient safety by reducing medication errors. However, this study shows that prescribing and transcribing errors frequently occur when patients are hospitalized. Because the population enrolled in the MDD system is an elderly, physically vulnerable group with a high number of prescribed drugs, preventive measures to ensure safe prescribing of MDD drugs are warranted.     

护士发生给药错误的特点及原因分析

目的分析护士给药错误发生的特点和原因,探讨如何预防给药错误的发生。方法回顾性分析某三级甲等医院2010年至2012年自愿非惩罚报告系统中上报的给药错误137例,分析护士给药错误的类别、特点及原因。结果给药错误主要发生在综合科室占31.39%,外科占24.82%;患者身份识别错误、药物遗漏、给药技术性错误是给药错误的主要类别;发生给药错误的药物种类,占前2位的分别是抗生素和心血管系统用药;在发生给药错误的原因中,操作过程中没有认真执行查对制度占48.91%。结论护理管理者应根据给药错误的特点制订相应的管理措施,加强护士药物知识的培训,严格执行查对制度,降低给药错误的发生。     

我院护理给药差错管理办法的实施与效果

目的有效控制护理给药差错的漏报率，提高住院病人的安全。方法成立护理给药差错评定小组，强化护理人员的安全意识，扩充有效的给药差错报告渠道，细化奖惩细则及评价标准。结果实施护理给药差错管理办法后，给药差错漏报率有明显降低，差异具有统计学意义（P〈0．01）。结论合理的护理给药差错管理办法能激励当事人和科室管理者主动上报差错的发生情况，使护理给药差错管理纳人良性循环。     

Medication‐administration errors in an urban mental health hospital: A direct observation study

In the present study, we aimed to identify the incidence, type, and potential clinical consequence of medication‐administration errors made in a mental health hospital, and to investigate factors that might increase the risk of error. A prospective, direct observational technique was used to collect data from nurse medication rounds on each of the hospital's 43 inpatient wards. Regression analysis was used to identify potential error predictors. During the 172 medication rounds observed, 139 errors were detected in 4177 (3.3%) opportunities. The most common error was incorrect dose omission (52/139, 37%). Other common errors included incorrect dose (25/139, 18%), incorrect form (16/139, 12%), and incorrect time (12/139, 9%). Fifteen (11%) of the errors were of serious clinical severity; the rest were of negligible or minor severity. Factors that increased the risk of error included the nurse interrupting the medication round to attend to another activity, an increased number of ‘when required’ doses of medication administered, a higher number of patients on the ward, and an increased number of doses of medication due. These findings suggest that providers of inpatient mental health‐care services should adopt medicine‐administration systems that minimize task interruption and the use of ‘when required’ medication, as well as taking steps to reduce nursing workload.