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Reducing medication confusion in homebound patients: when the data do not conform to the initial hypothesis
Julia Neily1, Greg Ogrinc, William B Weeks
1Field Office, Veterans Health Administration's National Center for Patient Safety, White River Junction VA Medical Center (VAMC), White River Junction, Vermont, USA.
Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Safety
|April 18, 2003
Summary
Visiting nurses faced challenges with conflicting medication orders from multiple physicians. Data collection revealed that resolving these medication discrepancies was not as time-consuming as previously believed.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Practice
- Medication Management
- Healthcare Administration
Background:
- Visiting nurses frequently encounter difficulties reconciling multiple and conflicting medication orders.
- Instances of multiple physicians prescribing medications exacerbate medication order confusion.
- This confusion is perceived as a significant time burden for healthcare professionals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the actual time required for visiting nurses to resolve medication order confusion.
- To challenge the assumption that resolving medication discrepancies is excessively time-consuming.
Main Methods:
- A team collected data on the process of reconciling medication orders.
- The study focused on situations involving multiple physicians and conflicting prescriptions.
Main Results:
- The data indicated that resolving medication order confusion was less time-consuming than anticipated.
- The implementation of a systematic data collection approach provided new insights.
Conclusions:
- Reconciliation of medication orders by visiting nurses can be managed efficiently.
- Systematic data collection is crucial for accurately assessing and improving clinical workflows.