Standardizing anesthesia medication drawers using human factors and quality assurance methods.

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Patient Safety
• Healthcare Informatics

Background:

• Anesthesia medication carts varied across Calgary's acute-care hospitals.
• Disparate medication layouts increased the risk of medication errors for anesthesiologists working at multiple sites.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a standardized list of anesthetic medications.
• To determine optimal grouping and positioning of medications within anesthesia carts.

Main Methods:

• A standardized medication list was created.
• Anesthesia professionals participated in a card-sorting exercise using photographs of cart drawers.
• Rationale for medication placement was documented and analyzed.

Main Results:

• A standardized medication drawer template was developed over 30 months with input from 15 anesthesia professionals.
• Medications were grouped by order/frequency of use, action similarity, harm potential, and appearance.
• The standardized drawer was implemented across three hospitals.

Conclusions:

• Standardization of anesthesia medication drawers is expected to decrease medication errors.
• Further research should evaluate clinical impact and applicability to other healthcare settings.