A comparison of medication errors between two storage sites
Murray Fisher
Department of Clinical Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, University of Sydney, NSW
Diane Norris
Clinical Nurse Consultant, Education Support
Liverpool Health Service, Liverpool NSW
Kathleen Camac
Formally Manager Nurse Education Liverpool Health Service, Liverpool NSW
Barbara Hawkshaw
Lecturer, Faculty of Nursing, University of Sydney, NSW
PP: 055 - 059
Abstract
This prospective single-blinded study aimed to compare the types of medication errors and medication error rates of two medication delivery systems. The setting was a 30 bed surgical ward that was divided into two identical areas.
In one area medications were stored and issued in a ward bay workstation immediately outside the patients' rooms. The alternate area used a medication trolley at the patients' bedside. Three hundred and forty opportunities for errors were observed using five nurse educators. Twenty administration errors (5.8% error rate) and two dispensing errors (0.6% error rate) were detected. A statistically significant difference was found between the two systems, where four errors occurred from the medication trolley (2.6% error rate), and fifteen errors occurred from the ward bay (9.2% error rate).
These results suggest that medications were less likely to be omitted and more likely to be given on time when they were issued at the patient's bedside using the medication trolley.
Keywords
quality use of medicines; medication error; error rate; delivery systems
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