Interruptions experienced by nurses during pediatric medication administration in China: An observational study

The objectives of this study were to describe (a) the frequency of interruptions experienced by a pediatric nurse per hour, (b) the sources of interruptions experienced by a pediatric nurse, and (c) the interruption outcomes during pediatric medication administration.

This design of this study was a cross-sectional observational study. A convenience sample of pediatric nurses was used in this study. The interruption observation sheet was used to collect data about the frequency, sources, and outcomes of interruptions.

There was a total of 43 nurses were observed in more than 180 medication administration rounds. An interruption rate of 94.51% occurred during pediatric medication administration. The frequency of interruptions was three or more times (51.04%). The most common source of interruption was attributed to the working environment (32.37%). The second most frequent reason for interruption came from personnel, such as caregivers (24.48%), followed by physicians (10.79%), and other nursing staff (9.54%). The third most common source of interruption was communication issues, including patient interviews, patient reports, and case discussion (8.71%). Six errors (2.49%) were reported out of 241 interruptions as a result of interruptions. In specific, causes of errors during pediatric medication administration were due to wrong medication dose.

This study provides important information on interruptions experienced by pediatric nurses during medication administration in Chinese hospital settings and found that interruptions frequently occur in pediatric units.