Contributing factors that influence medication errors in the prehospital paramedic environment: a mixed-method...

Area of Science:

• Prehospital care
• Medication safety
• Paramedic practice

Background:

• Limited research exists on medication errors in paramedic practice, with guidelines often based on other healthcare settings.
• The prehospital environment presents unique challenges distinct from hospital settings.
• Medication errors in prehospital settings may be under-reported, posing a significant risk to patient safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify factors contributing to medication errors made by paramedics in the prehospital environment.
• To synthesize existing evidence on medication safety in prehospital care.
• To inform strategies for reducing medication errors and enhancing patient outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of qualitative and quantitative studies.
• Searches conducted across multiple databases including MEDLINE, EBSCOhost, and Google Scholar.
• Convergent integrated approach with qualitative synthesis of data, irrespective of study quality.

Main Results:

• Evidence suggests medication errors occur in up to 12.76% of administrations in some prehospital settings.
• Multiple factors, from organizational to patient-specific, influence error occurrence.
• Under-reporting of errors is a significant concern, highlighting potential for patient harm.

Conclusions:

• Understanding the factors influencing paramedic medication errors is crucial for developing targeted safety interventions.
• Further research is needed to accurately quantify the incidence and impact of these errors.
• Dissemination of findings will support improved medication safety practices in prehospital care.