A "back to basics" approach to reduce ED medication errors

Medication error is the most frequently reported error in the emergency department. Nationally, 36% of medication errors occur in the administration phase. The purpose of this study is to reduce medication administration errors in the emergency department by reinforcing basic medication administration procedures.

This study examined a 3-month educational intervention using a nonrandomized, single group comparing pre-post outcome variables. The educational intervention, titled "Preventing Medication and IV Administration Errors," described current medication errors in the emergency department, and recommended practices for reducing medication administration errors. Of 127 nurses, 75% participated. Three measures used pre- and post-intervention were: a) knowledge of medication administration procedures assessed by tests; b) behaviors reflecting recommended medication practices assessed by surveys; and c) medication administration errors, identified via chart review and voluntary error reports.

In the post-test, 91% achieved perfect scores vs. 69% on the pre-test (P =. 0001). In the post-survey, the proportion responding that they follow recommended practice "all" or "most" of the time increased in 8 of the 10 survey questions, but the changes did not reach statistical significance (P = .98). Reviews of charts (299 pre-test and 295 post-test) revealed little change in total medication errors: 25% vs. 24% (P = .78). Voluntarily reported medication errors dropped from 1.28 to .99 errors/1000 patients.

This educational intervention successfully improved knowledge of recommended medication administration practices. However, improved knowledge did not translate to a significant change in practice. More research is needed to identify interventions that can modify behavior in clinical settings.