Effectiveness of Interventions for Reducing Interruptions During Medication Administration: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Patient Safety
• Healthcare Quality

Background:

• Medication errors during administration pose a significant risk to patient safety.
• Interruptions are a primary cause of these medication errors, disproportionately affecting nurses.
• Numerous interventions have been developed to mitigate these disruptions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and evaluate the efficacy of interventions designed to minimize interruptions during medication administration.
• To assess both preventive and responsive strategies targeting nurse interruptions.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive systematic search of multiple databases was conducted.
• 14 studies, including randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental designs, were included.
• The primary outcomes measured were interruption rates and medication error rates; meta-analysis was precluded by heterogeneity.

Main Results:

• Preventive interventions like 'no-interruption vests' and awareness campaigns showed potential in reducing external interruptions.
• Nurse-to-nurse interruptions remained a significant challenge.
• Responsive strategies had limited success in decreasing interruptions but enhanced nurses' management capabilities.
• The direct impact on medication error rates was inconclusive.

Conclusions:

• Preventive strategies are effective against external interruptions but require refinement for nurse-to-nurse disruptions.
• A multifaceted approach combining preventive and responsive interventions is crucial for enhancing medication safety.
• Further targeted interventions are necessary to address persistent nurse-to-nurse interruptions.