Common errors in administration of intravenous medications in pediatrics
Keywords:
Nursing Education, Intravenous Infusions, Medication errors, Pediatrics, Nursing ProcessAbstract
Introduction: At worldwide level mistakes during the administration of intravenous medications are reported, fortunately, are exceptional the number of hazard cases.
Objective: To identify the most frequent mistakes from nursing staff during the administration of intravenous medications in pediatrics in a specialized medical facility.
Methodology: Transversal, observational, and descriptive study. Registered and specialist nurses were studied through a check list meanwhile they were doing a procedure of administration of intravenous medications. Their knowledge was measured through a questionnaire previously validated by expert consensus. Data analysis was done with descriptive statistics.
Results: From 230 procedures, recording errors were identified (43%) in which nursing staff did not make the record immediately after; error when setting up the medication to be administered, meaning as inexact dose (31%). When evaluating the nurses’ knowledge 68% nurses had "efficient" and 32% deficient knowledge.
Discussion: Mistakes during the administration of medications showed a similar performance to that showed in medical literature; however, this study showed that the most frequent mistake was recording because it was done at different times and showed a percentage lightly minor to that referred in the medical literature. The error when setting up the
medication had 2% lees to that referred in the medical literature by another author.
Conclusions: In this research errors mean "pseudo-fails" type 2 which did not mean to be hazardous to patients;
however, it is necessary inclusion of improvements within the organization of services that show up a safer clinical practice.
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