Abstract
Objective: The study aims to present the medication classes involved in medication errors occurred at an Intensive Care Unit and to identify which are classified as high-alert medication classes. Methods: The population was composed of the documents of occurrence of errors contained in a database created for a previous investigation. We performed a secondary analysis of the available information. Results: Overall, 305 events were identified, with an average rate of 6.9 events per patient. Seventy-three medications were found, distributed among 33 classes according to their predominant action, the most frequent of which were: antibiotics (25.2%), gastric acid reducers (19.0%) and antihypertensive drugs (9.2%). Thirty-seven (12.1%) events involving high-alert medication classes were identified, corresponding to five classes, among which venous anesthetics predominated (43.3%). Conclusion: These drug types are frequently used at intensive care units and should be accurately monitored, as they can cause further damage when incorrectly used.
Highlights
The concept of system refers to the disposition of the parts or elements of a whole, coordinated with each other and functioning as an organized structure
Of the total number of medications involved in medication errors (ME), the class of antibiotics totaled 77 (25.2%) events, followed by the class of gastric acid reducers (58, or 19.0%) and by antihypertensive drugs (29, or 9.2%)
It was verified that a high number of medications was involved in the occurrences, and they were distributed among 33 classes according to their predominant action
Summary
The concept of system refers to the disposition of the parts or elements of a whole, coordinated with each other and functioning as an organized structure. The system allows subsystems or processes, which have their own functions and objectives and affect the behavior of the set. The design of a system should be flexible and adequate to the reality of each institution, region or country, judging by the structural and procedural conditions in which it is included. Independently of the subsystems that constitute it or of the professionals who act in it, the path should be safe, ensuring that the patient receives the drug therapy in an effective, efficient, efficacious and optimized way, in compliance with specific legislations and supported by quality standards[1,2]
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