FMEA used for the risk control in healthcare

Abstract

The goal of the study was to identify and assess the risks in the process of medicament administration by nurses. Methodology: The empiric study was designed as a quantitative method using focus groups. 22 managers from 4 hospitals in South Bohemia took part in the focus groups. The process of medicament administration by nurses was analyzed using the FMEA method. Results: In the process of drug administration, 28 possible failure modes with 12 identifiable causes were identified. The mean value of the Risk Priority Number (RPN) was 97, the RPN was higher than 125 in six failure modes. They included the risk of medication errors, missed out drug administration, wrong ordering of oral drug administration, missed out comparison of the patient's ID with the healthcare records, generic medication error made by a nurse, and missed out hand hygiene. The preventive measures minimalizing the risks associated with drug administration include the introduction of a complete system of electronic medicament prescription which is, at the same time, interconnected with the Positive List of Hospital Medicaments, the introduction of regular internal audits of keeping complete records on medicaments in the healthcare records.