Errors In Intensive Care Unit Research Articles

Evaluation of the Impact of Infusion Set Design on the Particulate Load Induced by Vancomycin-Piperacillin/Tazobactam Incompatibility.

Drug incompatibilities are among the most common medication errors in intensive care units. A precipitate can form and block the catheter or cause an adverse event in the patient. Intensive care units have implemented various strategies for limiting the occurrence of these incompatibilities, which have already been studied in vitro under standardized conditions. The objective of the present in vitro study was to continue these assessments by determining the impact of the infusion line geometry and the drugs' position in the infusion set-up on the prevention of vancomycin-piperacillin/tazobactam incompatibility. Infusion lines with a different common volume, a multilumen medical infusion device, a dilute vancomycin solution, and separate infusions of incompatible drugs were evaluated separately. The infusion line outlet was connected to a dynamic particle counter. Reducing the common volume, using multilumen medical devices, or spacing out the two incompatible drugs on the infusion line did not prevent the occurrence of a significant particulate load. Only dilution of the vancomycin solution was associated with a significantly lower particulate load and the absence of drug incompatibility. Our results show that under specific conditions, it is possible to reduce particulate contamination considerably.

FedICU: a federated learning model for reducing the medication prescription errors in intensive care units

FedICU: a federated learning model for reducing the medication prescription errors in intensive care units

Conceptualizations of interprofessional communication in intensive care units: findings from a scoping review

ABSTRACT Background Clinical errors in intensive care units (ICUs) are consistently attributed to communication errors. Despite its importance for patient safety and quality in critical care settings, few studies consider interprofessional communication as more than the basic exchange of information. Methods We conducted a scoping review of interprofessional communication in ICUs to (1) characterize how communication is defined and measured and (2) identify contributions the field of health communication can make to team communication in ICUs. Through a series of queries in PubMed and Communication and Mass Media Complete databases, we identified and compared persistent gaps in how communication is framed and theorized in 28 publications from health services and 6 from social science outlets. We identified research priorities and suggested strategies for discussing communication more holistically in future health services research. Results 34 articles published from 1999 to 2021 were included. Six explicitly defined communication. Six were published in social science journals, but none were authored by a communication studies scholar. Half of the articles addressed communication as a transaction focused on information transfer, and the other half addressed communication as a process. Conclusions Methodological implications are identified with the intent to encourage future interdisciplinary collaboration for studying communication in ICUs. We discuss the importance of (1) using language to describe communication that facilitates interdisciplinary engagement, (2) prioritizing communication as a process and using qualitative methods to provide insight, and (3) engaging health communication theories and experts to assist in developing more fruitful research questions and designs.

Investigating Causes of Medical Errors in Intensive Care Units in Iran: A Cross-sectional Study.

Medical errors cause disability and mortality in intensive care units (ICUs). We aimed to determine the occurrence and causes of medical errors in the ICUs of Iran. In this cross-sectional study, data from the family complaint files referred to The disciplinary authority of Iran Medical Council was retrospectively reviewed to explore the causes of medical errors. Statistical analysis was performed in SPSS Version 26.0. A total of 293 complaint files were referred to the disciplinary commission from 2014 to 2019, of which 95 files were related to medical errors in ICUs. The median age of patients was 62 years (46-74 years) and 52 (54.7%) patients were men. Also, 37 (38.9%) patients had decreased levels of consciousness and 42 (42.2%) patients had cardiovascular disease. A total of 40 (42.1%) patients experienced a single medical error and 55 (57.9%) patients experienced more than 1. Causes of medical errors in patients were physician's or nurse's negligence in 53 (55.8%) patients, weak interaction of physician and nurse with the patient and family members in 11 (11.6%) patients, weak interprofessional interaction among physicians in 7 (7.4%) patients, equipment and structure of ICUs in 7 (7.4 patients, nature of ICUs and patients in 6 (6.3%) patients, weak physician-nurse interprofessional interaction in 5 (5.2%) patients) patients, low attention of the physician and the nurse to medication safety in 6 (6.3%) patients. Patient safety is impacted by a variety of medical mistakes. Interprofessional strategies can be developed and put into action to mitigate medical errors in ICUs.

Interventions to Minimize Medication Error by Nurses in Intensive Care: A Scoping Review Protocol.

Medication errors represent a concern for healthcare organizations due to their negative consequences. In the nursing context, these errors represent a threat to the quality of care and patient safety. Many factors have been identified as potential causes for these errors in intensive care units. A scoping review will be developed to identify interventions/strategies to minimize the occurrence of medication errors by nurses, considering the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology. A search will be conducted in the EbscoHost (CINAHL Complete and MEDLINE), Embase and PubMed databases. Data analysis, extraction and synthesis will be carried out by two reviewers independently. This review will attempt to map which interventions are more specific to minimizing medication error by nurses in intensive care and to recognize which factors influence this type of error to mitigate practices that may lead to error. This protocol acts as the framework for a scoping review in the strategy to map the interventions and which factors contribute to the medication error by intensive care nurses. This study was prospectively registered with the Open Science Framework on 21 April 2023 with registration number DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/94KH3.

Protocolization of Analgesia and Sedation Through Smart Technology in Intensive Care: Improving Patient Safety.

The risk of medication errors in intensive care units is high, primarily in the drug administration phase. Management of high-alert medications within intensive care units in the study institution varied widely. The aim of this quality improvement project was to protocolize and centralize the management of high-alert medications in acute care settings and to implement smart intravenous infusion pump technology in intensive care units. The project was conducted in 4 phases: (1) protocolization and standardization of intravenous mixtures, (2) centralization of intravenous mixture preparation in the Pharmacy Department, (3) programming of the smart pumps, and (4) dissemination and staged implementation of intravenous mixture protocols. Smart pumps (Alaris, CareFusion) were used to deliver the medicines, and the manufacturer's software (Alaris Guardrails, CareFusion) was used to analyze data regarding adherence to the drug library and the number of programming errors detected. Morphine, remifentanil, fentanyl, midazolam, dexmedetomidine, and propofol were included. After implementation of the smart pumps, 3283 infusions were started; of these, 2198 were programmed through the drug library, indicating 67% compliance with the safety software. The pumps intercepted 398 infusion-related programming errors that led to cancellation or reprogramming of drug infusions. Protocolization and centralization of the preparation of high-alert sedative and analgesic medications for critically ill patients and the administration of these drugs using smart pump technology decrease variability of clinical practice and intercept potentially serious medication errors.

Medication administration error prevention among nurses working in intensive care units: A secondary analysis.

The intensive care unit (ICU) brings together high-risk patients and interventions in a complex environment. Based on this consideration, medication administration error is the most common type of error that occurs in ICUs. Literature confirms that human factors (lack of knowledge, poor practices and negative attitudes) of nurses are the main contributors to the occurrence of medication administration errors in ICUs. To examine and compare the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour scores on medication administration error according to nurses' sociodemographic and professional variables. This is a secondary analysis of data from a cross-sectional international study based on a survey. Descriptive statistics were computed for all items of the questionnaire. Non-parametric tests (Kruskal Wallis and Mann Whitney U tests) were used to carry out the comparison between groups. The international sample consisted of 1383 nurses in 12 different countries. Statistically significant changes were seen in knowledge, attitudes and behaviour scores among several subgroups of the international population. Eastern nurses were more likely to show adequate knowledge about medication administration error prevention than Western nurses; concurrently, Western nurses were significantly more likely to show positive attitudes than Eastern nurses. No statistically significant differences in the behaviour scale were found in this study. The findings show a difference between knowledge and attitudes in relation to cultural background. Decision makers in ICUs should consider cultural background when planning and implementing prevention strategies for medication administration errors. Further research is needed to investigate the effectiveness of educational systems on the decrease of the incidence of medication administration errors in ICU.

Reducing Medication Errors by Adopting Automatic Dispensing Cabinets in Critical Care Units

Medication errors can have severe consequences and threaten patient safety. The patient safety-related benefits of automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs) have been reported by several previous studies, including a reduction in medication errors in intensive care units (ICUs) and emergency departments. However, the benefits of ADCs need to be assessed, given the different healthcare practice models. This study aimed to compare the rates of medication errors, including prescription, dispensing, and administrative, before and after using ADCs in intensive care units. The prescription, dispensing, and administrative error data before and after the adoption of ADCs were retrospectively collected from the medication error report system. The severity of medication errors was classified according to the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention guidelines. The study outcome was the rate of medication errors. After the adoption of ADCs in the intensive care units, the rates of prescription and dispensing errors reduced from 3.03 to 1.75 per 100,000 prescriptions and 3.87 to 0 per 100,000 dispensations, respectively. The administrative error rate decreased from 0.046 to 0.026%. The ADCs decreased National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention category B and D errors by 75% and category C errors by 43%. To improve medication safety, multidisciplinary collaboration and strategies, such as the use of automated dispensing cabinets, education, and training programs from a systems perspective, are warranted.

The Effects of Augmented Reality Remapping on Individual Differences in Task Performance, Workload, and Error Frequency within ICU Nurses

Fast-paced environments require operators who perform in them to use their cognitive abilities such as perception and memory to complete tasks. Individual differences in ability can result in different outcomes. Previous research has shown that common errors in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) can be reduced if individual differences in cognition, such as attentional ability, are addressed. The goal of this research is to understand how cognitive aids in the form of Augmented Reality (AR) can reduce errors and perceived workload, as well as mitigate differences in performance and attentional ability between individuals.

Impact of educational support on standards of medication administration regarding nursing medication errors in Intensive Care Units

ABSTRACT Medication errors may arise due to insufficient information on drug use. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of educational support on standards of medication administration regarding nursing medication errors in Intensive Care Units (ICU). The study's participants included two groups of ICU nurses. Both groups were observed using a checklist, before and two weeks after training. Educational intervention in the form of two two-hour sessions was conducted for the intervention group, while control group received no intervention. No significant differences were found in both groups before intervention (P>0.05). However, the nurses’ medication errors significantly decreased in the intervention group compared to the control group (12.7 ± 1.5 vs. 22.7 ± 3.8; p <0.01). Therefore, education of standards can result in a significant reduction in medication errors among ICU nurses. Even for ICU nurses, post-medical education is important for continuing professional education.

Medication Errors in Intensive Care Units: An Umbrella Review of Control Measures.

Medication errors are defined as “any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the health care professional, patient, or consumer.” Such errors account for 30 to 50 percent of all errors in health care. The literature is replete with systematic reviews of medication errors, with a considerable number of studies focusing on systems and strategies to prevent errors in intensive care units, where these errors occur more frequently; however, to date, there appears to be no study that encapsulates and analyzes the various strategies. The aim of this study is to identify the main strategies and interventions for preventing medication errors in intensive care units through an umbrella review. The search was conducted on the following databases: PubMed, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Embase, and Scopus; it was completed in November 2020. Seven systematic reviews were included in this review, with a total of 47 studies selected. All reviews aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a single intervention or a combination of interventions and strategies to prevent and reduce medication errors. Analysis of the results that emerged identified two macro-areas for the prevention of medication errors: systems and processes. In addition, the findings highlight the importance of adopting an integrated system of interventions in order to protect the system from harm and contain the negative consequences of errors.

Iranian Nurses’ Perception of Factors Contributing to Medical Errors in Intensive Care Unit: A Qualitative Study

Patient safety is a major health concern throughout the world, and medical errors are the most important factor threatening patient safety, especially in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). To prevent errors and improve patient safety, it is necessary to identify the underlying causes of error from the perspective of nurses working in ICUs. This study aimed to explore nurses’ experiences of factors contributing to medical errors in the Intensive Care Unit. The present qualitative study was conducted using conventional content analysis. The participants included 17 nurses working in ICUs in two educational hospitals affiliated with the Iran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran. Data were collected using in-depth semi-structured interviews and were analyzed through the conventional content analysis approach based on Graneheim and Lundman's model. Four main categories (a) extra-organizational challenges; (b) Organizational position; (c) The specificity of the care environment, (d) Individual reason and nine subcategories: (accreditation problems, non-native care standards, organizational management, organizational Features, critical condition of patients, physical structure of unit, neglect in the process of care, lack of clinical knowledge and experience, and physical and psychological problems) were identified. From the nurses' perspective, a series of factors associated with the health system, the organization, the ICUs, and the individual play a role in the occurrence of errors; therefore, it is necessary for planners, policy-makers, nursing managers to think about these underlying factors and with in-service training, and a positive, supportive atmosphere; lead nurses to support the patient and improve patient safety.

Comparison across 12 countries on knowledge, attitude, and behavior scores about medication errors in Intensive Care Units: an international study.

The aim of the study was to explore the degree of agreement of intensive care unit nurses working on a set of medication error preventive strategies and to examine possible predictors of nurses' knowledge, attitude and behavior. Observational, international, and cross-sectional study. Iran, Malta, Spain, Pakistan, Nepal, Qatar, Ecuador, Australia, Finland, Italy, Egypt, and Jordan were the countries included in this survey. To collect data, the Knowledge, Attitude and Behavior in Medication Errors questionnaire was used. A descriptive statistical analysis was performed for the socio-demographic characteristics of the sample and three multiple logistic regressions were performed. The international sample consists of 1383 nurses, of whom 478 (34.6%) were men and 900 (65.1%) were women and their mean age was 35.61 years with a range of 19-61. Descriptive statistics conducted on the international sample show a medium to high degree of agreement among participants concerning some preventive strategies of medication error. In addition, the results of the present study show a strong relationship between positive nurses' attitudes and correct behaviors and/or adequate knowledge, as well as between adequate knowledge and correct behaviors (p< 0.01). Further studies are needed to explore the issue of medication error concerning nurses' cultural backgrounds, as well as to assess similarities and disparities among international nurses.

A Prospective Study on Medication Errors in an Intensive Care Unit

Any preventable event related to drugs that may cause harm to a patient is known as "medication error". Errors occur due to a lack of knowledge, poor performance, and psychological lapses. The pharmacists has a major role along with physicians, nurses, and administrators to examine and improve the healthcare system in order to ensure patient safety. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency, causes, and types of medication errors in the secondary-care intensive care unit. All medical records of intensive care unit patients, above 14 years of age, listing their co-morbid/non-co-morbid conditions, occupation, caste, and gender, were checked for medication errors for a period of 6 months at Government Head Quarters Hospital, Udhagamandalam. According to the results of this study, 116 medication errors were found in 103 patients in the intensive care unit. The number of medication errors was higher in men than in women. The most common medication errors were prescription errors, which were due to illegible handwriting; the use of lookalike drugs; and incomplete dose, dosage, and frequency. Considering the results of this study, it is important to increase awareness among healthcare professionals of varying stature about the significance of medication errors. It is also necessary to change the existing prescribing techniques and clearly differentiate lookalike drugs to avoid medication errors.

Factors affecting nursing error communication in intensive care units: A qualitative study

Error communication includes both reporting errors to superiors and disclosing their consequences to patients and their families. It significantly contributes to error prevention and safety improvement. Yet, some errors in intensive care units are not communicated. The aim of the present study was to explore factors affecting error communication in intensive care units. This qualitative study was conducted in 2019. Participants were 17 critical care nurses purposively recruited from the intensive care units of 2 public hospitals affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and were analyzed through the conventional content analysis method proposed by Graneheim and Lundman. The Ethics Committee of Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran approved the study (code: IR.IUMS. REC.1397.792). Participants were informed about the study aim and methods and were ensured of data confidentiality. They were free to withdraw from the study at will. Written informed consent was obtained from all of them. Factors affecting error communication in intensive care units fell into four main categories, namely the culture of error communication (subcategories were error communication organizational atmosphere, clarity of processes and guidelines, managerial support for nurses, and learning organization), the consequences of errors for nurses and nursing (subcategories were fear over being stigmatized as incompetent, fear over punishment, and fear over negative judgments about nursing), the consequences of errors for patients (subcategories were monitoring the effects of errors on patients and predicting the effects of errors on patients), and ethical and professional characteristics (subcategories were ethical characteristics and inter-professional relationships). The results of this study show many factors affect error communication, some facilitate and some prohibit it. Organizational factors such as the culture of error communication and the consequences of error communication for the nurse and the patient, as well as individual and professional characteristics, including ethical characteristics and interprofessional relationship, influence this process. Errors confront nurses with ethical challenges and make them assess error consequences and then, communicate or hide them based on the results of their assessments. Health authorities can promote nurses' error communication through creating a supportive environment for them, developing clear error communication processes and guidelines, and providing them with education about the principles of ethical practice.

Voluntarily reported prescribing, monitoring and medication transfer errors in intensive care units in The Netherlands.

Background Medication errors occur frequently in intensive care units (ICU). Voluntarily reported medication errors form an easily available source of information. Objective This study aimed to characterize prescribing, monitoring and medication transfer errors that were voluntarily reported in the ICU, in order to reveal medication safety issues. Setting This retrospective data analysis study included reports of medication errors from eleven Dutch ICU's from January 2016 to December 2017. Method We used data extractions from the incident reporting systems of the participating ICU's. The reports were transferred into one database and categorized into type of error, cause, medication (groups), and patient harm. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate the proportion of medication errors and the distribution of subcategories. Based on the analysis, ICU medication safety issues were revealed. Main outcome measure The main outcome measure was the proportion of prescribing, monitoring and medication transfer error reports. Results Prescribing errors were reported most frequently (n = 233, 33%), followed by medication transfer errors (n = 85, 12%) and monitoring errors (n = 27, 4%). Other findings were: medication transfer errors frequently caused serious harm, especially the omission of home medication involving the central nervous system and proton pump inhibitors; omissions and dosing errors occurred most frequently; protocol problems caused a quarter of the medication errors; and medications needing blood level monitoring (e.g. tacrolimus, vancomycin, heparin and insulin) were frequently involved. Conclusion This analysis of voluntarily reported prescribing, monitoring and medication transfer errors warrants several improvement measures in these processes, which may help to increase medication safety in the ICU.

Medication Errors in Intensive Care Units in the Viewpoint of Nurses: A Descriptive Study

Medication Errors in Intensive Care Units in the Viewpoint of Nurses: A Descriptive Study

Measures to prevent medication errors in intensive care units

Aim: The aims were to summarize studies on the effectiveness of interventions to reduce adverse events of the medication error type and, based on the studies, to identify recommendations for preventing medication errors in intensive care units (ICUs). Design: A descriptive review. Methods: To find relevant resources, the SCOPUS and EBSCO electronic databases were searched using the following search words: prevention, medication errors, intensive care unit. Both primary and secondary studies on prevention of medication errors in ICUs were selected. Results: A total of eight primary studies and three systematic reviews were included. The studies showed considerable variability and differed in methods, numbers of monitored events or ways of data collection. The assessed interventions were pharmacist involvement, automated infusion devices, reporting medication errors, strategies to limit interruptions during drug administration, electronic health records together with support systems for clinical decision making, nurse education in drug administration and creating checklists. Conclusion: The assessment of selected studies suggests that to a certain extent, all of them showed certain medication error reduction. Due to numerous limitations, however, it is impossible to select and recommend a single approach.

Environmental Factors Contributing to Medication Errors in Intensive Care Units

Environmental Factors Contributing to Medication Errors in Intensive Care Units

Transcription Errors of Blood Glucose Values and Insulin Errors in an Intensive Care Unit: Secondary Data Analysis Toward Electronic Medical Record-Glucometer Interoperability.

BackgroundCritically ill patients require constant point-of-care blood glucose testing to guide insulin-related decisions. Transcribing these values from glucometers into a paper log and the electronic medical record is very common yet error-prone in intensive care units, given the lack of connectivity between glucometers and the electronic medical record in many US hospitals.ObjectiveWe examined (1) transcription errors of glucometer blood glucose values documented in the paper log and in the electronic medical record vital signs flow sheet in a surgical trauma intensive care unit, (2) insulin errors resulting from transcription errors, (3) lack of documenting these values in the paper log and the electronic medical record vital signs flow sheet, and (4) average time for docking the glucometer.MethodsThis secondary data analysis examined 5049 point-of-care blood glucose tests. We obtained values of blood glucose tests from bidirectional interface software that transfers the meters’ data to the electronic medical record, the paper log, and the vital signs flow sheet. We obtained patient demographic and clinical-related information from the electronic medical record.ResultsOf the 5049 blood glucose tests, which were pertinent to 234 patients, the total numbers of undocumented or untranscribed tests were 608 (12.04%) in the paper log, 2064 (40.88%) in the flow sheet, and 239 (4.73%) in both. The numbers of transcription errors for the documented tests were 98 (2.21% of 4441 documented tests) in the paper log, 242 (8.11% of 2985 tests) in the flow sheet, and 43 (1.64% of 2616 tests) in both. The numbers of transcription errors per patient were 0.4 (98 errors/234 patients) in the paper log, 1 (242 errors/234 patients) in the flow sheet, and 0.2 in both (43 errors/234 patients). Transcription errors in the paper log, the flow sheet, and in both resulted in 8, 24, and 2 insulin errors, respectively. As a consequence, patients were given a lower or higher insulin dose than the dose they should have received had there been no errors. Discrepancies in insulin doses were 2 to 8 U lower doses in paper log transcription errors, 10 U lower to 3 U higher doses in flow sheet transcription errors, and 2 U lower in transcription errors in both. Overall, 30 unique insulin errors affected 25 of 234 patients (10.7%). The average time from point-of-care testing to meter docking was 8 hours (median 5.5 hours), with some taking 56 hours (2.3 days) to be uploaded.ConclusionsGiven the high dependence on glucometers for point-of-care blood glucose testing in intensive care units, full electronic medical record-glucometer interoperability is required for complete, accurate, and timely documentation of blood glucose values and elimination of transcription errors and the subsequent insulin-related errors in intensive care units.