Using Real-Time Data to Warn Nurses of Medication Administration Errors Using a Nurse Situational Awareness Dashboard

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Informatics
• Nursing Practice
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Electronic Health Records (EHR) generate vast amounts of healthcare data.
• Real-time data utilization at the point of care for nursing interventions remains underutilized.
• Historical EHR data analysis is common, but real-time risk assessment is less explored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and pilot a dashboard for nurses to visualize near-miss medication error risk.
• To assess the impact of real-time risk visualization on nursing workload and patient needs.
• To evaluate the dashboard's effectiveness in reducing medication errors.

Main Methods:

• A dashboard was created to display individual near-miss medication error risk.
• The dashboard dynamically updated based on changing patient needs and nurse workload.
• The system was piloted for a 30-day period with nurses.

Main Results:

• Implementation of the near-miss medication error dashboard led to a 15.6% reduction in near-misses.
• The dashboard provided nurses with real-time insights into potential medication error risks.
• Changes in patient needs and workload were correlated with visualized risk levels.

Conclusions:

• Real-time data visualization dashboards can effectively reduce near-miss medication errors.
• Utilizing EHR data in real-time empowers nurses at the point of care.
• This approach enhances patient safety by proactively managing medication error risks.