Ethnographic study of incidence and severity of intravenous drug errors

Abstract

What is already known on this topic What is already known on this topic Errors in preparing and administering intravenous drugs can cause considerable harm to patients Reduction of drug errors is a government health target in the United Kingdom and the United States What this study adds What this study adds Errors occurred in about half of the intravenous drug doses observed Errors were potentially harmful in about a third of cases The most common errors were giving bolus doses too quickly and mistakes in preparing drugs that required multiple steps What is already known on this topic What is already known on this topic Errors in preparing and administering intravenous drugs can cause considerable harm to patients Reduction of drug errors is a government health target in the United Kingdom and the United States What this study adds What this study adds Errors occurred in about half of the intravenous drug doses observed Errors were potentially harmful in about a third of cases The most common errors were giving bolus doses too quickly and mistakes in preparing drugs that required multiple steps