Abstract
Vaccine-related errors (VREs) result from mistakes in vaccine preparation, handling, storage, or administration. We aimed to assess physicians’ and nurses’ experiences of VREs in South Korea, focusing on reconstitution issues, and to understand the barriers to and facilitators of preventing them. This was a cross-sectional study using an internet-based survey to examine experiences of reconstitution-related errors, and experience or preference with regard to ready-to-use vaccines (RTU) by physicians and nurses. A total of 700 participants, including 250 physicians and 450 nurses, responded to the questionnaire. In total, 76.4% and 41.5% of the physicians and nurses, respectively, reported an error related to reconstituted vaccines. All errors had been reported as experienced by between 4.9% and 52.0% of physicians or nurses. The errors were reported to occur in more than one in 100 vaccinations for inadequate shaking of vaccines by 28.0% of physicians and 6.9% of nurses, incomplete aspiration of reconstitution vials by 28.0% of physicians and 6.4% of nurses, and spillage or leakage during reconstitution by 20.8% of physicians and 6.9% of nurses. A total of 94.8% of physicians had experience with RTU vaccines, and all preferred RTU formulations. In conclusion, this study highlights the high frequency and types of reconstitution-related errors in South Korea. RTU vaccines could help reduce the time needed for preparation and reduce the risk of errors in South Korea.
Highlights
Medication errors are an important preventable public health problem
The proportion of male physician respondents is aligned with the physician population in Korea (74.6% male in 2017) [16], and the proportion of female nurses is aligned with the nursing gender balance [17]
In terms of practice capacity and vaccination practice, nurses tended to see and vaccinate more patients on a weekly basis than physicians, but the proportion of vaccines needing reconstitution was similar between the two groups
Summary
Medication errors are an important preventable public health problem. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System, identified medication errors as the most common type of error in healthcare [1]. Vaccine-related errors (VRE) result from mistakes in vaccine preparation, handling, storage, or administration. Such errors can result in adverse events or vaccine failure. They are preventable and detract from the overall benefits of the immunization program. The identification and correction of these incorrect immunization practices are of great importance
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