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Observational Study Protocol for Repeated Clinical Examination and Critical Care Ultrasonography Within the Simple Intensive Care Studies
Published on: January 16, 2019
Medication errors and drug knowledge gaps among critical-care nurses: a mixed multi-method study.
Juan Escrivá Gracia1, Ricardo Brage Serrano2, Julio Fernández Garrido2
1Department of nursing, University of Valencia, 46001 Jaume Roig St, Valencia, Spain. juanescrivagracia@gmail.com.
Critical care nurses demonstrate insufficient knowledge regarding frequently used medications, contributing to medication errors. This knowledge gap is linked to common errors in drug administration within intensive care units (ICUs).
Area of Science:
- Nursing Practice
- Patient Safety
- Pharmacotherapy
Background:
- Medication errors pose significant risks in clinical settings, particularly in intensive care units (ICUs).
- The critical condition of ICU patients amplifies the potential severity of medication errors.
- Understanding the root causes of these errors is crucial for effective nurse training.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between critical-care nurses' knowledge of medication use and administration.
- To identify common medication errors occurring in intensive care settings.
Main Methods:
- A mixed-methods study combining quantitative and qualitative approaches.
- Phase 1: Review of patient medical records.
- Phase 2: Focus group interviews.
- Phase 3: Administration of an ad hoc questionnaire.
Main Results:
- The overall medication error index was 1.93%.
- High error rates were observed in antibiotic administration timing (8.15%), high-risk medication preparation (2.94%), and nasogastric tube medication administration (11.16%).
Conclusions:
- Critical-care nurses exhibit a low level of knowledge concerning the most frequently administered drugs.
- This knowledge deficit is associated with a higher incidence of medication errors in the ICU.