Errors in the administration of injected medication occur frequently in intensive care units, a study of 113 units across 27 countries suggests. Over a 24-hour period, 441 patients out of 1,300 were subject to errors, and seven suffered permanent harm. Nearly half of the affected patients suffered more than one mistake. The most frequent errors related to the wrong time of administration and missing doses. Stress, tiredness, recent changes in the drug’s name, poor communication, and protocol violations were cited as contributing factors. Lead researcher Dr Andreas Valentin recommended error reporting systems and routine checks at shift changes. The Intensive Care Society said many units had developed patient safety training programmes, including measures to learn from ‘near misses’. Work was also under way to standardise concentrations of some drugs for critically ill patients, refine the use of antibiotics and minimise the risk of adverse drug reactions. Source: BBC, 13 March 2009. http://tinyurl.com/b9cqz603 July 2009
Intensive care errors ‘frequent’
Errors in the administration of injected medication occur frequently in intensive care units, a study of 113 units across 27 countries suggests. Over a 24-hour period, 441 patients out of 1,300 were subject to errors, and seven suffered permanent harm. Nearly half of the affected patients suffered more than one mistake. The most frequent errors related to the wrong time of administration and missing doses. Stress, tiredness, recent changes in the drug’s name, poor communication, and protocol violations were cited as contributing factors. Lead researcher Dr Andreas Valentin recommended error reporting systems and routine checks at shift changes. The Intensive Care Society said many units had developed patient safety training programmes, including measures to learn from ‘near misses’. Work was also under way to standardise concentrations of some drugs for critically ill patients, refine the use of antibiotics and minimise the risk of adverse drug reactions. Source: BBC, 13 March 2009. http://tinyurl.com/b9cqz6
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