Evaluating the Frequency of Errors in Preparation and Administration of Intravenous Medications in Orthopedic, General Surgery and Gastroenterology Wards of a Teaching Hospital in Tehran

The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of medication errors happened during the preparation and administration of intravenous (IV) drugs. This study was designed as prospective cross-sectional evaluations by direct unconcealed observation in a setting consisted of orthopedic, general surgery and gastroenterology wards of a teaching hospital. Participants were those patients hospitalized in these wards along with nurses responsible for preparation and administration of IV medications. Medication errors occurred in the process of preparation and administration of IV drugs, were recorded by a pharmacist. The frequency of medication errors with suggesting a solution to overcome was the main outcome of this study. Details of the preparation and administration stages of the observed drugs were compared to an instructed checklist prepared by an expert clinical pharmacist. From a total of 357 preparation and administration episodes, the most common type of error (%20.6) was the injection of bolus doses and infusion faster than the recommended rate. Metronidazole had the highest rate of error (%24.3). IV rounds conducted at 12 p.m. had the most rate of error (%26.3). Errors happened in the administration process were more prevalent than those in the preparation. No significant correlation was found between the frequency of errors and nurses’ demographic data. This study revealed that the errors happened in the preparation and administration of IV drugs is prevalent. Improving the medication safety by the implementation of clinical pharmacists’ prepared protocols at the point of care is an important concern.