Predictors of unit-level medication administration accuracy: microsystem impacts on medication safety

The Impact of Delayed Symptomatic Treatment Implementation in the Intensive Care Unit

We estimated the harm related to medication delivery delays across 12,474 medication administration instances in an intensive care unit using retrospective data in a large urban academic medical center between 2012 and 2015. We leveraged an instrumental variables (IV) approach that addresses unobserved confounds in this setting. We focused on nurse shift changes as disruptors of timely medication (vasodilators, antipyretics, and bronchodilators) delivery to estimate the impact of delay. The average delay around a nurse shift change was 60.8 min (p < 0.001) for antipyretics, 39.5 min (p < 0.001) for bronchodilators, and 57.1 min (p < 0.001) for vasodilators. This delay can increase the odds of developing a fever by 32.94%, tachypnea by 79.5%, and hypertension by 134%, respectively. Compared to estimates generated by a naïve regression approach, our IV estimates tend to be higher, suggesting the existence of a bias from providers prioritizing more critical patients.

Nurses' experiences with newly acquired knowledge about medication management: A qualitative study

OBJECTIVE

To investigate nurses' experiences with implementation of knowledge gained through an obligatory medication management programme (MMP).

BACKGROUND

Lack of knowledge among nurses is an important contributor to medication management errors. Therefore, training programmes such as the MMP were established to help nurses acquire and refine their practice skills.

METHOD

This was a qualitative study using semistructured interviews and thematically analysed data.

RESULTS

The nurses felt that medication management was a major responsibility, but following the MMP, they experienced a greater awareness of their own knowledge and became more confident. Time pressures and poorly established procedures and organisational planning were experienced as barriers to ensuring sound medication management practice and made it difficult to implement the knowledge gained from the MMP.

CONCLUSION

Nurses reported that the MMP gave them greater awareness of their knowledge and new knowledge. They also stated that management choices were significantly affected by organisational factors, stress and their own lack of confidence.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Ensuring a secure knowledge base, positive working environment and nursing staffing that matches the workload will further improve nurses' professional skills and knowledge.

Missed Nursing Care and Unit-Level Nurse Workload in the Acute and Post-Acute Settings

This study replicates previous research on the nature and causes of missed nursing care and adds an explanatory variable: unit-level nurse workload (patient turnover percentage). The study was conducted in California, which legally mandates nurse staffing ratios. Findings demonstrated no significant relationship between patient turnover and missed nursing care.

Content validity and internal reliability of Slovene version of Medication Administration Error Survey

Introduction: In Slovenia there is a lack of valid and reliable instruments for measuring medication administration errors. The aim of research is to determine the content validity and internal reliability of the Slovenian version of the ''Medication Administration Error Survey''. Methods: We used the translation and back translation tested the questionnaire for its content validity on the basis of an agreement of eight experts. Content validity was quantified by the content validity index and a modified Cohen kappa index. A cross-sectional design, with a convenience sample of 91 caregivers working in internal or surgical wards in two health care institutions, was used to test the internal consistency by calculating Cronbach's α and corrected item-total correlations. Results: 64 items showed an excellent content validity index, ranging from 0.875 to 1.000, and modified kappa index over 0.740. Two items had a content validity index 0.750 and modified kappa index 0.560. The average content validity index for three main parts of the questionnaire ranged from 0.940 to 0.959. Cronbach's α for these three parts ranged from 0.832 to 0.989. The corrected item-total correlations reached a required criterion for all items, except one. Discussion and conclusion: Instrument has an acceptable content validity and internal reliability, however, due to some methodological shortcomings results should be interpreted with caution. Further psychometric testing is needed.

Modeling hospital-acquired pressure ulcer prevalence on medical-surgical units: nurse workload, expertise, and clinical processes of care

OBJECTIVE

This study modeled the predictive power of unit/patient characteristics, nurse workload, nurse expertise, and hospital-acquired pressure ulcer (HAPU) preventive clinical processes of care on unit-level prevalence of HAPUs.

DATA SOURCES

Seven hundred and eighty-nine medical-surgical units (215 hospitals) in 2009.

STUDY DESIGN

Using unit-level data, HAPUs were modeled with Poisson regression with zero-inflation (due to low prevalence of HAPUs) with significant covariates as predictors.

DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS

Hospitals submitted data on NQF endorsed ongoing performance measures to CALNOC registry.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

Fewer HAPUs were predicted by a combination of unit/patient characteristics (shorter length of stay, fewer patients at-risk, fewer male patients), RN workload (more hours of care, greater patient [bed] turnover), RN expertise (more years of experience, fewer contract staff hours), and processes of care (more risk assessment completed).

CONCLUSIONS

Unit/patient characteristics were potent HAPU predictors yet generally are not modifiable. RN workload, nurse expertise, and processes of care (risk assessment/interventions) are significant predictors that can be addressed to reduce HAPU. Support strategies may be needed for units where experienced full-time nurses are not available for HAPU prevention. Further research is warranted to test these finding in the context of higher HAPU prevalence.