Safety in drug administration: Research on nursing practice and circumstances of errors

Abstract

Introduction: To provide safe, effective, timely and individualized care is a major challenge in health care. Currently, the main errors in health care are related to medication errors. These errors can cause damages, especially in pediatrics, because of organs' immaturity and variation in the weight and body surface. In this way, the importance of nursing in this scenario is perceived to guarantee a safe care. Objective: To investigate the practice of nursing professionals about drug administration process, as well as the circumstances that lead to errors. Method: Descriptive, quantitative study with 147 nursing professionals in Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Units. To collect data, a questionnaire was used elaborated and based on the recommendations of the Guideline for Prevention of Intravascular catheter-related infections with questions related to the practice of drug administration and afterwards a descriptive data analysis was used. Results: The professionals pointed out weaknesses in the practice, such as double checking of medications, administration of medication prepared by the colleague, delays and lack in checking the prescriptions. The most common errors were derived from the wrong dose and the environmental factors were presented as a critical point. Conclusion: The findings interfere in the consolidation of safety practices in drug administration in pediatrics and neonatology, suggesting the need for team qualification and continuous monitoring of the work process.