[Usefulness of a software package to reduce medication errors in neonatal care]

Area of Science:

• Neonatal intensive care
• Clinical pharmacy
• Medical informatics

Background:

• Medication errors in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) often stem from complex drug dose and dilution calculations.
• Standardizing calculations is crucial for safe and effective neonatal drug administration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the reliability and usefulness of Neodosis, a spreadsheet designed to aid clinicians and nurses in calculating drug doses and standardizing dilutions in NICUs.
• To assess the impact of Neodosis on reducing errors and calculation time.

Main Methods:

• A randomized, cross-over, controlled trial using simulated clinical cases.
• Evaluated prescription errors and calculation time with and without the Neodosis spreadsheet.
• Conducted 54 tests involving pediatricians, pediatric residents, and nurses.

Main Results:

• Without Neodosis, all participant groups (residents, pediatricians, nurses) made medication calculation errors.
• Use of Neodosis significantly reduced errors across all groups, with pediatric residents showing the greatest improvement (minor errors reduced from 16% to 2%, major errors from 1.6% to 0%).
• Neodosis decreased calculation time by 33% to 50% for all user groups.

Conclusions:

• Medication calculation errors are a significant issue among healthcare personnel in neonatal care.
• The Neodosis spreadsheet demonstrably improves accuracy and efficiency in drug calculations for physicians and nurses.
• Implementing Neodosis can enhance patient safety in neonatal intensive care settings.