Medication Errors in Intensive Care Units: An Umbrella Review of Control Measures.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Dionisi S
PROVIDER: S-EPMC9320368 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Similar Datasets
Project description:BackgroundNeonatal intensive care units are high-risk settings where medication errors can occur and cause harm to this fragile segment of patients. This multicenter qualitative study was conducted to describe medication errors that occurred in neonatal intensive care units in Palestine from the perspectives of healthcare providers.MethodsThis exploratory multicenter qualitative study was conducted and reported in adherence to the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research checklist. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with healthcare professionals (4 pediatricians/neonatologists and 11 intensive care unit nurses) who provided care services for patients admitted to neonatal intensive care units in Palestine. An interview schedule guided the semi-structured in-depth interviews. The qualitative interpretive description approach was used to thematically analyze the data.ResultsThe total duration of the interviews was 282 min. The healthcare providers described their experiences with 41 different medication errors. These medication errors were categorized under 3 categories and 10 subcategories. Errors that occurred while preparing/diluting/storing medications were related to calculations, using a wrong solvent/diluent, dilution errors, failure to adhere to guidelines while preparing the medication, failure to adhere to storage/packaging guidelines, and failure to adhere to labeling guidelines. Errors that occurred while prescribing/administering medications were related to inappropriate medication for the neonate, using a different administration technique from the one that was intended, and administering a different dose from the one that was intended. Errors that occurred after administering the medications were related to failure to adhere to monitoring guidelines.ConclusionIn this multicenter study, pediatricians/neonatologists and neonatal intensive care unit nurses described medication errors occurring in intensive care units in Palestine. Medication errors occurred in different stages of the medication process: preparation/dilution/storage, prescription/administration, and monitoring. Further studies are still needed to quantify medication errors occurring in the neonatal intensive care units and investigate if the designed strategies could be effective in minimizing the medication errors.
| S-EPMC9150293 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundMedication errors (MEs) in neonates are frequent and associated with increased potential for harm compared with adults. The effect of learning from reported MEs is potentially lacking due to underreporting, lack of feedback and missing actions to improve medication safety. A new approach involving positive recognition of current and future strategies may facilitate greater exploration of how to improve medication safety in neonates. We aimed to explore current and potential future practices to prevent MEs in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).MethodsFocus group interviews of physicians and nurses were conducted at three Danish NICUs. Participants were included if they had at least 1 month of working experience and provided direct patient care. A semistructured interview guide involving three questions was used: (a) how do you feel about discussing prevention of MEs? (b) how do you currently prevent MEs from occurring? and (c) how can we become better at preventing MEs in the future? Content analysis was used to identify themes in the interviews.ResultsParticipants commented that MEs still occur and that action must be taken to improve medication safety. Current practices to prevent MEs involved technology, procedures, education, skills and hospital pharmacy services. Potential future practices to prevent MEs included customizing the computerized physician order entry systems to support optimal prescribing, standardizing the double-check process, training of calculation skills and teamwork and increased use of hospital pharmacy services.ConclusionsSeveral current and potential future practices to reduce MEs in NICUs were identified, highlighting the complexity of MEs. Our findings support an interdisciplinary multifaceted intervention involving both technical and nontechnical elements to improve medication safety in NICUs.
| S-EPMC6048629 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThere is a relationship between the application of physical restraints and negative physiological and psychological effects on critically ill patients. Many organizations have supported and advocated minimizing the use of physical restraints. However, it is still common practice in many countries to apply physical restraints to patients in intensive care.ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess the effectiveness of various non-pharmacological interventions used to minimize physical restraints in intensive care units and provide a supplement to the evidence summary for physical restraints guideline adaptation.MethodsBased on the methodology of umbrella review, electronic databases, including Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Joanna Briggs Institute Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, PsycInfo/Psyc Articles/Psychology and Behavioral Science Collection, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, SinoMed, and Wanfang Data, were searched to identify systematic reviews published from January 2016 to December 2020. Two independent reviewers undertook screening, data extraction, and quality appraisal. The methodological quality of systematic reviews was evaluated by AMSTAR 2. Evidence quality of each intervention was assessed according to GRADE. The corrected covered area was calculated as a measure of overlap.ResultsA total of 47 systematic reviews were included in the umbrella review, of which six were evaluated as high quality, five were of moderate quality, and the rest were of low or critically low quality. The corrected covered area range was from 0.0 to 0.269, which indicated that there was mild overlap between systematic reviews. The included systematic reviews evaluated various types of non-pharmacological interventions for minimizing physical restraints in intensive care units, which included multicomponent interventions involving healthcare professionals' education, family engagement/support, specific consultations and communication, rehabilitation and mobilization (rehabilitation techniques, early mobilization, inspiratory muscle training), interventions related to reducing the duration of mechanical ventilation (weaning modes or protocols, ventilator bundle or cough augmentation techniques, early tracheostomy, high-flow nasal cannula), and management of specific symptoms (delirium, agitation, pain, and sleep disturbances).ConclusionThe number of systematic reviews related to physical restraints was limited. Multicomponent interventions involving healthcare professionals' education may be the most direct non-pharmacological intervention for minimizing physical restraints use in intensive care units. However, the quality of evidence was very low, and conclusions should be taken with caution. Policymakers should consider incorporating non-pharmacological interventions related to family engagement/support, specific consultations and communication, rehabilitation and mobilization, interventions related to reducing the duration of mechanical ventilation, and management of specific symptoms as part of the physical restraints minimization bundle. All the evidence contained in the umbrella review provides a supplement to the evidence summary for physical restraints guideline adaptation.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=242586, identifier: CRD42021242586.
| S-EPMC9091438 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundDespite extensive research carried out on medication administration errors (MAEs) in the domain of infusion therapy, there is limited knowledge on nurse's perceptions on the occurrence of MAEs during infusion therapy. Since nurses are responsible for medication preparation and administration in Dutch hospitals, it is vital to understand their perspectives on the risk factors for MAEs.AimThe purpose of this study is to investigate the perception of nurses, working in adult ICUs, on the occurrence of MAEs during continuous infusion therapies.MethodsA digital web-based survey was distributed among 373 ICU nurses working in Dutch hospitals. The survey investigated nurses' perceptions on the frequency, severity of consequences and preventability of MAEs, factors for the occurrence of MAEs, and infusion pump and smart infusion safety technology.ResultsA total of 300 nurses started to fill out the survey but only 91 of them (30.3%) fully completed it and were included in analyses. Medication-related factors and Care professional-related factors were perceived as the two most important risk categories for the occurrence of MAEs. Important risk factors contributing to the occurrence of MAEs included high patient-nurse ratio, problems in communication between caregivers, frequent staff changes and transfers of care, and no/incorrect dosage/concentration on labels. Drug library was reported as the most important infusion pump feature and both Bar Code Medication Administration (BCMA) and medical device connectivity as the two most important smart infusion safety technologies. Nurses perceived the majority of MAEs as preventable.ConclusionsBased on ICU nurses' perceptions, the present study suggests that strategies to reduce MAEs in these units should focus on, among other factors, the high patient-to-nurse ratio, problems in communication between nurses, frequent staff changes and transfers of care, and no/incorrect dosage/concentration on drug labels.
| S-EPMC9930049 | biostudies-literature
Project description:To improve neonatal patient safety through automated detection of medication administration errors (MAEs) in high alert medications including narcotics, vasoactive medication, intravenous fluids, parenteral nutrition, and insulin using the electronic health record (EHR); to evaluate rates of MAEs in neonatal care; and to compare the performance of computerized algorithms to traditional incident reporting for error detection.We developed novel computerized algorithms to identify MAEs within the EHR of all neonatal patients treated in a level four neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in 2011 and 2012. We evaluated the rates and types of MAEs identified by the automated algorithms and compared their performance to incident reporting. Performance was evaluated by physician chart review.In the combined 2011 and 2012 NICU data sets, the automated algorithms identified MAEs at the following rates: fentanyl, 0.4% (4 errors/1005 fentanyl administration records); morphine, 0.3% (11/4009); dobutamine, 0 (0/10); and milrinone, 0.3% (5/1925). We found higher MAE rates for other vasoactive medications including: dopamine, 11.6% (5/43); epinephrine, 10.0% (289/2890); and vasopressin, 12.8% (54/421). Fluid administration error rates were similar: intravenous fluids, 3.2% (273/8567); parenteral nutrition, 3.2% (649/20124); and lipid administration, 1.3% (203/15227). We also found 13 insulin administration errors with a resulting rate of 2.9% (13/456). MAE rates were higher for medications that were adjusted frequently and fluids administered concurrently. The algorithms identified many previously unidentified errors, demonstrating significantly better sensitivity (82% vs. 5%) and precision (70% vs. 50%) than incident reporting for error recognition.Automated detection of medication administration errors through the EHR is feasible and performs better than currently used incident reporting systems. Automated algorithms may be useful for real-time error identification and mitigation.
| S-EPMC4715992 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Medication errors can have severe consequences and threaten patient safety. The patient safety-related benefits of automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs) have been reported by several previous studies, including a reduction in medication errors in intensive care units (ICUs) and emergency departments. However, the benefits of ADCs need to be assessed, given the different healthcare practice models. This study aimed to compare the rates of medication errors, including prescription, dispensing, and administrative, before and after using ADCs in intensive care units. The prescription, dispensing, and administrative error data before and after the adoption of ADCs were retrospectively collected from the medication error report system. The severity of medication errors was classified according to the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention guidelines. The study outcome was the rate of medication errors. After the adoption of ADCs in the intensive care units, the rates of prescription and dispensing errors reduced from 3.03 to 1.75 per 100,000 prescriptions and 3.87 to 0 per 100,000 dispensations, respectively. The administrative error rate decreased from 0.046 to 0.026%. The ADCs decreased National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention category B and D errors by 75% and category C errors by 43%. To improve medication safety, multidisciplinary collaboration and strategies, such as the use of automated dispensing cabinets, education, and training programs from a systems perspective, are warranted.
| S-EPMC10136387 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThe role of telemedicine in intensive care has been increasing steadily. Tele-intensive care unit (ICU) interventions are varied and can be used in different levels of treatment, often with direct implications for the intensive care processes. Although a substantial body of primary and secondary literature has been published on the topic, there is a need for broadening the understanding of the organizational factors influencing the effectiveness of telemedical interventions in the ICU.ObjectiveThis scoping review aims to provide a map of existing evidence on tele-ICU interventions, focusing on the analysis of the implementation context and identifying areas for further technological research.MethodsA research protocol outlining the method has been published in JMIR Research Protocols. This review follows the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews). A core research team was assembled to provide feedback and discuss findings.ResultsA total of 3019 results were retrieved. After screening, 25 studies were included in the final analysis. We were able to characterize the context of tele-ICU studies and identify three use cases for tele-ICU interventions. The first use case is extending coverage, which describes interventions aimed at extending the availability of intensive care capabilities. The second use case is improving compliance, which includes interventions targeted at improving patient safety, intensive care best practices, and quality of care. The third use case, facilitating transfer, describes telemedicine interventions targeted toward the management of patient transfers to or from the ICU.ConclusionsThe benefits of tele-ICU interventions have been well documented for centralized systems aimed at extending critical care capabilities in a community setting and improving care compliance in tertiary hospitals. No strong evidence has been found on the reduction of patient transfers following tele-ICU intervention.International registered report identifier (irrid)RR2-10.2196/19695.
| S-EPMC8600441 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundMedication safety presents an ongoing challenge for nurses working in complex, fast-paced, intensive care unit (ICU) environments. Studying ICU nurse's medication management-especially medication-related events (MREs)-provides an approach to analyze and improve medication safety and quality.ObjectivesThe goal of this study was to explore the utility of facilitated MRE reporting in identifying system deficiencies and the relationship between MREs and nurses' work in the ICUs.MethodsWe conducted 124 structured 4-hour observations of nurses in three different ICUs. Each observation included measurement of nurse's moment-to-moment activity and self-reports of workload and negative mood. The observer then obtained MRE reports from the nurse using a structured tool. The MREs were analyzed by three experts.ResultsMREs were reported in 35% of observations. The 60 total MREs included four medication errors and seven adverse drug events. Of the 49 remaining MREs, 65% were associated with negative patient impact. Task/process deficiencies were the most common contributory factor for MREs. MRE occurrence was correlated with increased total task volume. MREs also correlated with increased workload, especially during night shifts.DiscussionMost of these MREs would not be captured by traditional event reporting systems. Facilitated MRE reporting provides a robust information source about potential breakdowns in medication management safety and opportunities for system improvement.
| S-EPMC5679090 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Telemedicine coverage of intensive care units is an organizational innovation that has been touted as a means to improve access to and quality of critical care. The purpose of this narrative review is to discuss the different organizational models of intensive care unit telemedicine and factors that have influenced its adoption and to review the existing literature to consider whether it has lived up to its promise. We conclude by suggesting future directions to fill in some of the existing gaps in the literature.
| S-EPMC6322009 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionIncreasing numbers of patients are surviving critical illness, leading to growing concern about the potential impact of the long-term consequences of intensive care on patients, families and society as a whole. These long-term effects are together known as postintensive care syndrome and their presence can be evaluated at intensive care unit (ICU) follow-up consultations. However, the services provided by these consultations vary across hospitals and units, in part because there is no validated standard model to evaluate patients and their quality of life after ICU discharge. We describe a protocol for a scoping review focusing on models of ICU follow-up and the impact of such strategies on improving patient quality of life.Methods and analysisIn this scoping review, we will search the literature systematically using electronic databases (MEDLINE - from database inception to June 15th 2020) and a grey literature search. We will involve stakeholders as recommended by the Joanna Briggs Institute approach developed by Peters et al. The research will be conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines.Ethics and disseminationThis study does not require ethics approval, because data will be obtained through a review of published primary studies. The results of our evaluation will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and will also be disseminated through presentations at national and international conferences.
| S-EPMC7643502 | biostudies-literature