Medication safety in neonatology: Nursing in the perspective of the ecological restorative approach

Abstract

Objective: to analyze the factors that interfere in the medication safety process in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Method: An exploratory study with a qualitative approach. The collection took place from December 2014 to March 2015, using focus groups and photography walkabouts, in the perspective of the ecological restorative approach, with 12 nursing professionals from the neonatal ICU of a public hospital in the Southern Region of Brazil. The information was organized using the NVivo 10 software and was submitted to thematic content analysis. Results: the following thematic categories emerged from the analysis: Individualized approach and medication error punishment culture; Safety factors related to the physical structure of the medications in the neonatal ICU; Safety factors related to routines and protocols; and Nursing as a barrier to the occurrence of medical prescription errors. Conclusion: the study demonstrates the complexity of the medication process in neonatology and highlights critical points that can cause errors and adverse events, as well as proposals to prevent errors. The role of the nursing team in the detection of medication prescription errors is highlighted, functioning as the last barrier to the prevention and reduction of errors associated with medication.