Frequency and Severity of Harm of Medication Errors Related to the Parenteral Nutrition Process in a Large University Teaching Hospital

Quality improvement for parenteral nutrition in hospital: Applying a gap analysis to an electronic health record to review parenteral nutrition processing

BACKGROUND

In light of the complex and high-risk nature of parenteral nutrition (PN), reviewing PN processing steps is essential to minimize patient harm. The main steps include ordering, verification, compounding, and administration. Electronic health records (EHRs) have become increasingly utilized and can play a critical role in enhancing the safety of PN processin. Epic EHR is used throughout all PN processing steps within our health system. There is limited literature on health system quality improvement initiatives in PN processing.

METHODS

We reviewed the steps of PN processing in our health region and applied a gap analysis to assess Epic's functionality in PN processing. This gap analysis aimed to identify opportunities to enhance PN safety.

RESULTS

Epic applies 32 of 40 functions that enhance PN safety. We selected three functions to prioritize adding into future EHR iterations; these include (1) bidirectional automatic interfacing between the automated compounding device and EHR reflecting real-time updates on product availability/shortages, (2) automatically transmitting a pharmacist-modified PN order back to the prescriber for approval, and (3) adding additional clinical decision support tools, one of which is incorporating a 3-in-1 qualification calculator and the second is requiring prescriber justification for using compounded formulations over multichamber bags. Additional opportunities for improving safety in PN processing were identified and added to the gap analysis.

CONCLUSION

Using a gap analysis is a simple process to review a health system's EHR to identify opportunities to enhance patient care.

Pharmacist-led surgical medicines prescription optimization and prediction service improves patient outcomes - a machine learning based study

Background

Optimizing prescription practices for surgical patients is crucial due to the complexity and sensitivity of their medication regimens. To enhance medication safety and improve patient outcomes by introducing a machine learning (ML)-based warning model integrated into a pharmacist-led Surgical Medicines Prescription Optimization and Prediction (SMPOP) service.

Method

A retrospective cohort design with a prospective implementation phase was used in a tertiary hospital. The study was divided into three phases: (1) Data analysis and ML model development (1 April 2019 to 31 March 2022), (2) Establishment of a pharmacist-led management model (1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023), and (3) Outcome evaluation (1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024). Key variables, including gender, age, number of comorbidities, type of surgery, surgery complexity, days from hospitalization to surgery, type of prescription, type of medication, route of administration, and prescriber's seniority were collected. The data set was divided into training set and test set in the form of 8:2. The effectiveness of the SMPOP service was evaluated based on prescription appropriateness, adverse drug reactions (ADRs), length of hospital stay, total hospitalization costs, and medication expenses.

Results

In Phase 1, 6,983 prescriptions were identified as potential prescription errors (PPEs) for ML model development, with 43.9% of them accepted by prescribers. The Random Forest (RF) model performed the best (AUC = 0.893) and retained high accuracy with 12 features (AUC = 0.886). External validation showed an AUC of 0.786. In Phase 2, SMPOP services were implemented, which effectively promoted effective communication between pharmacists and physicians and ensured the successful implementation of intervention measures. The SMPOP service was fully implemented. In Phase 3, the acceptance rate of pharmacist recommendations rose to 71.3%, while the length of stay, total hospitalization costs, and medication costs significantly decreased (p < 0.05), indicating overall improvement compared to Phase 1.

Conclusion

SMPOP service enhances prescription appropriateness, reduces ADRs, shortens stays, and lowers costs, underscoring the need for continuous innovation in healthcare.

Implementation of nutritional care bundle is associated with improved growth in preterm infants born before 32 gestational weeks

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate whether implementing a nutritional care bundle is associated with growth and morbidity in very preterm (VPT) infants.

STUDY DESIGN

This study compared 87 VPT infants (<32 gestational weeks) born 2018 (Before group) with 75 infants born 2020 (After group), treated at a single center in the Czech Republic. A nutritional care bundle was implemented during 2019.

RESULTS

Median gestational age (weeks) was 30.0 [IQR 27.6-31.1] for the Before group and 29.9 [IQR 27.9-30.6] for the After group. During postnatal days 1-14, parenteral fluid intake was significantly lower in the After group compared to the Before group and conversely for enteral fluid intake. Infants in the After group achieved full enteral feeds by postnatal day 14 (72.9 % vs. Before group 51.9 %). Weight z-scores decreased significantly less from birth to 36 weeks postmenstrual age in the After group (-0.8 [IQR -1.3 to -0.5]) compared to the Before group (-1.5 [IQR -2.0 to -1.2]). Head circumference z-scores decreased significantly less in the After group (-0.8±0.9) than the Before group (-1.6±1.1). Decreased rate of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) requiring treatment was observed in the After group (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Implementation of a nutritional care bundle in VPT infants was associated with improved postnatal growth and may reduce treatment-requiring PDA.

Parenteral nutrition compatibility and stability: Practical considerations

Parenteral nutrition (PN) is a complex preparation that contains multiple component products with the associated risk for incompatibilities and diminished stabilities when combined together as an admixture. Significant patient harm can result from prescribing, preparing, and administering PN without confirming compatibility and stability. Incompatibility or instability is rarely obvious to the unaided eye, so safe PN admixture relies on incorporating physicochemical properties of the included components into compatibility and stability decisions. Practices include applying active ingredient concentration limits to reduce risk for incompatibilities and instabilities. The purpose of the current article is to distill the wide-ranging information on PN compatibility and stability into a feasible blueprint that individual healthcare organizations can then use to design and implement practical initiatives. Compatibility and stability considerations can be incorporated into the routine tasks of PN prescribing, order reviewing, preparing, and administering. The focus of this review is on identifying potential physicochemical interactions that can be addressed at each step in the PN use process. Organizations should incorporate compatibility and stability considerations into the routine procedures and practices of all clinicians involved with PN therapy. Those clinicians in healthcare organizations and caregivers in the home should then be in a position to safely provide the appropriate PN admixtures in terms of compatibility and stability.

Safe and efficient practice of parenteral nutrition in neonates and children aged 0-18 years - The role of licensed multi-chamber bags

Parenteral nutrition (PN) is recognized as a complex high-risk therapy. Its practice is highly variable and frequently suboptimal in pediatric patients. Optimizing care requires evidence, consensus-based guidelines, audits of practice, and standardized strategies. Several pediatric scientific organizations, expert panels, and authorities have recently recommended that standardized PN should generally be used over individualized PN in the majority of pediatric patients including very low birth weight premature infants. In addition, PN admixtures produced and validated by a suitably qualified institution are recommended over locally produced PN. Licensed multi chamber bags are standardized PN bags that comply with Good Manufacturing Practice and high-quality standards for the finished product in the frame of their full manufacturing license. The purpose of this article is to review the practical aspects of PN and the evidence for using such multi-chamber bags in pediatric patients. It highlights the safety characteristics and the limitations of the different PN practices and provides some guidance for ensuring safe and efficient therapy in pediatric patients.

Expert consensus statements and summary of proceedings from the International Safety and Quality of Parenteral Nutrition Summit

PURPOSE

The International Safety and Quality of Parenteral Nutrition (PN) Summit consisted of presentations, discussions, and formulation of consensus statements. The purpose here is to briefly summarize the summit and to present the consensus statements.

SUMMARY

There was a high degree of consensus, with all statements approved by all authors/summit experts. These consensus statements should be regarded not as formal guidelines but rather as best-practice guidance intended to complement national and international nutrition society evidence-based guidelines and position statements. This article also summarizes key discussion topics from the summit, encompassing up-to-date knowledge and practical guidance concerning PN safety and quality in various countries and clinical settings, focusing on adult patients. Clear geographical differences exist between practices in Europe and the United States, and different approaches to improve the safety, quality, and cost-effectiveness of PN vary, particularly with regard to the delivery systems used. Discussion between experts allowed for an exchange of practical experience in optimizing PN use processes, opportunities for standardization, use of electronic systems, potential improvements in PN formulations, better management during PN component shortages, and practical guidance to address patients' needs, particularly during long-term/home PN.

CONCLUSION

The consensus statements are the collective opinion of the panel members and form best-practice guidance. The authors intend that this guidance may help to improve the safety and quality of PN in a variety of settings by bridging the gap between published guideline recommendations and common practical issues.

Parenteral nutrition in clinical practice: International challenges and strategies

PURPOSE

Parenteral nutrition (PN) is an established therapy when oral/enteral feeding is not sufficient or is contraindicated, but nevertheless PN remains a complex, high-alert medication that is susceptible to errors that may affect patient safety. Over time, considerable progress has been made to make PN practices safer. The purpose of this article is to address ongoing challenges to improve the PN use process from prescription to administration and monitoring, and to outline practical aspects fostering the safety, quality, and cost-effectiveness of PN, as discussed at the International Safety and Quality of PN Summit.

SUMMARY

Opportunities to improve the PN use process in clinical practice include the promotion of inter-disciplinary communication, vigilant surveillance for complications, staff education to increase competency, and more consistent use of advanced technologies that allow automated safety checks throughout the PN process. Topics covered include considerations on PN formulations, including the value of intravenous lipid emulsions (ILEs), trends in compounding PN, the current and future role of market-authorized multi-chamber PN bags containing all 3 macronutrients (amino acids, glucose/dextrose, and ILE) in the United States and in Europe, and strategies to cope with the increasing global problem of PN product shortages.

CONCLUSION

This review outlines potential strategies to use in clinical practice to overcome ongoing challenges throughout the PN use process, and ultimately promote PN patient safety.

Detection and reduction of errors in parenteral nutrition compounding through gravimetric and product control

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the errors in the preparation of parenteral nutrition in a Pharmacy Service, detected through an already consolidated gravimetric and product quality control, and compare them with those detected during the initial years of implementing this quality control.

METHODS

All errors detected through quality control in the compounding of pediatric and adult parenteral nutrition between 2019 and 2021 were prospectively analyzed. This quality control consisted of 3 sequential processes: a visual check, a gravimetric control, and a product control. Errors were classified as gravimetric, when the nutrition had a deviation of more than 5% from the theoretical weight, or as product errors when a qualitative or quantitative error was detected upon reviewing the remainder of the components used. These errors were analyzed in terms of type and the component involved. A comparison was made with the errors detected during the implementation phase of this quality control from 2016 to 2018.

RESULTS

A total of 41,809 parenteral nutritions were reviewed, and 345 errors were detected (0.83% of the preparations); of these, 59 errors were found in pediatric nutritions (0.68% of them), and 286 in adult nutritions (0.86% of them). Among these errors, 193 were of gravimetric nature, while 152 were detected through product control. The main components involved in product errors were electrolytes, primarily due to the addition of excessive volumes and the use of incorrect components. A significant absolute reduction of 0.71% (p < 0.05) in the total number of errors was observed when compared to the implementation phase. This reduction was consistent in both gravimetric errors (-0.59%) and product-related errors (-0.12%) (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Comprehensive quality control of parenteral nutrition preparation is an easily implementable tool that effectively detected and prevented significant errors. Furthermore, its widespread adoption contributed to a reduction in the overall error count.

Detection and reduction of errors in parenteral nutrition compounding through gravimetric and product control

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the errors in the preparation of parenteral nutrition in a Pharmacy Service, detected through an already consolidated gravimetric and product quality control, and compare them with those detected during the initial years of implementing this quality control.

METHODS

All errors detected through quality control in the compounding of pediatric and adult parenteral nutritions between 2019 and 2021 were prospectively analyzed. This quality control consisted of 3 sequential processes: a visual check, a gravimetric control, and a product control. Errors were classified as gravimetric, when the nutrition had a deviation of more than 5% from the theoretical weight, or as product errors when a qualitative or quantitative error was detected upon reviewing the remainder of the components used. These errors were analyzed in terms of type and the component involved. A comparison was made with the errors detected during the implementation phase of this quality control from 2016 to 2018.

RESULTS

A total of 41,809 parenteral nutritions were reviewed, and 345 errors were detected (0.83% of the preparations); of these, 59 errors were found in pediatric nutritions (0.68% of them), and 286 in adult nutritions (0.86% of them). Among these errors, 193 were of gravimetric nature, while 152 were detected through product control. The main components involved in product errors were electrolytes, primarily due to the addition of excessive volumes and the use of incorrect components. A significant absolute reduction of 0.71% (P < .05) in the total number of errors was observed when compared to the implementation phase. This reduction was consistent in both gravimetric errors (-0.59%) and product-related errors (-0.12%) (P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

Comprehensive quality control of parenteral nutrition preparation is an easily implementable tool that effectively detected and prevented significant errors. Furthermore, its widespread adoption contributed to a reduction in the overall error count.

National evaluation of harm associated with patient safety incident reports related to the provision of parenteral nutrition to patients, using a national incident reporting system

BACKGROUND

Parenteral nutrition (PN)-related patient safety incidents have been associated with harm. Large-scale studies are scarce, and little is known about contributory factors. This study evaluated PN-related incident reports that described harm using a national database.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective evaluation of incident reports involving PN in England and Wales reported to the National Reporting and Learning System between 2015 and 2020. We described frequency by degree of reported harm and incident characteristics. Content analysis was undertaken to understand contributory factors for reports related to moderate/severe harm or death.

RESULTS

12,907 incident reports were identified. After screening, 2242 were evaluated; 1879 (83.8%) reported no harm, 309 (13.8%) low harm, 47 (0.02%) moderate harm, 4 (0.002%) severe harm, 3 (0.001%) deaths. The most reported age group, medication process, and error category were neonates (<28 days) (n = 570/1923, 29.6%), administration (n = 1126/2242, 50%), and omitted medication/ingredient (n = 291/2242, 13%), respectively. Content analysis of reports related to moderate/severe harm and death revealed patient age of <1 year, dependence on home PN (HPN), comorbidities, and staff errors as contributory factors.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first evaluation of PN-related incident reports in England and Wales to our knowledge. We demonstrated a low frequency of reports related to moderate or severe harm or death. More incidents were reported for neonates and during the administration processes. To reduce harm, systems/procedures that reduce errors in high-risk patients (eg, neonates, patients receiving HPN) need to be established within organizations. Database limitations of voluntary reporting systems were recognized.

Optical Identification of Parenteral Nutrition Solutions Exploiting Refractive Index Sensing

Parenteral artificial nutrition (PAN) is a lifesaving treatment for a large population of patients affected by different diseases, and it consists of intravenous injection of nutritive fluids by means of infusion pumps. Wrong PAN solutions are, unfortunately, often administered, thus threatening the patients' well-being. Here, we report an optofluidic label-free sensor that can distinguish PAN solutions on the basis of their volumetric refractive index (RI). In our system, a monochromatic light beam, generated by a laser diode, travels obliquely through a transparent, square-section polystyrene channel, is then back-reflected by a mirror, and finally exits the channel in a position that depends on the filling fluid RI. The displacement of the output light spot ΔXexperim is easily detected with a linear, 1-D position sensitive detector (PSD). We initially calibrated the sensor with water-glucose solutions demonstrating a sensitivity S = ΔXexperim/Δn = 13,960 µm/RIU. We then clearly distinguished six commercial PAN solutions, commonly administered to patients. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported healthcare sensing platform for remote contactless recognition of PAN fluids, which could be inserted into infusion pumps to improve treatment safety, by checking the compliance to the prescription of the fluid actually delivered to the patient.

Detection of medication administration errors at a tertiary hospital using a direct observation approach

Objectives

Medication administration errors (MAEs) are the most common and significant type of medication errors worldwide. This study aims to assess the prevalence, types, and severity of MAEs. Furthermore, this study attempts to determine the factors associated with the occurrence of MAEs.

Method

This cross-sectional study was conducted over a three-month interval in the internal medicine ward of a tertiary teaching hospital in Jordan. During the study period, 13 nurses were observed while they were preparing and administering medications using a direct disguised observation method. All the recorded observations about the preparation and administration were compared with the physician's orders in the medications' records to identify any possible MAEs.

Results

Having observed a total of 1,012 opportunities for errors, 910 MAEs were identified. Among these 910 errors, adherence errors were found to be the most frequent type (n = 364, 35.9%), followed by incorrect drug preparation (n = 247, 24.4%). None of the MAEs revealed any serious harm to patients or contributed to prolonged hospitalization. Antimicrobial drugs (n = 210, 23.0%) was the most common class associated with MAEs, followed by the class of cardiovascular (n = 157, 17.2%) medicines. Results have shown that the occurrence of MAEs was significantly higher in the non-intravenous medications in comparison to the intravenous medications (p-value < 0.001).

Conclusion

While this study revealed a high rate of MAEs, all the identified errors did not cause harm to the patients. Continuous awareness and education campaigns targeting the nurses about the importance of proper and safe drug administration are highly recommended.

Patient Safety Incidents Related to the Use of Parenteral Nutrition in All Patient Groups: A Systematic Scoping Review

INTRODUCTION

There is limited comprehensive literature focussing on the range of patient safety incidents related to parenteral nutrition (PN).

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this review was to examine patient safety incidents related to the use of PN in all patient age groups.

METHODS

Literature published in the English language between January 2000 and April 2020 were searched across the MEDLINE, CINHAL and Embase databases. Articles were included if they contained PN-related patient safety incidents related to an avoidable event. No restrictions were applied to patient populations. The screening process was undertaken independently by two authors.

RESULTS

In total, 108 records were included in the review: 52 case studies, 54 observation studies (e.g. prevalence studies, surveys) and two experimental studies. All age groups were represented, with 62% of studies in paediatrics (of which two-thirds were neonates) and 23% in adults. They included all medication processes: prescribing, dispensing, compounding, administration and monitoring. Incidents were related to microbial contamination, venous access and specific components (e.g. lipid emulsion, amino acids, glucose, micronutrients and electrolytes) or the whole product. Incident outcomes ranging from near miss to death were reported. Intervention studies looked at the impact on patient safety incidents of computerised tools, healthcare processes, e.g. pharmacist screening, and standardisation. One study demonstrated more severe outcomes with paediatric than with adult PN.

CONCLUSIONS

This review demonstrates the vast range of PN-related patient safety incidents in all patient age groups and all medication process stages. The need for a national study looking at patient safety incidents related to PN in England is highlighted.

Parenterale Ernährung in deutschen Perinatalzentren

Hintergrund

Die Leitlinien der „European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition“ (ESPGHAN) liefern evidenzbasierte Empfehlungen zu parenteraler Ernährung (PE) von Frühgeborenen und kranken Neugeborenen. Im Jahr 2013 wurde gezeigt, dass sie in Westeuropa nur teilweise angewendet werden und ihre klinische Implementierung verbessert werden sollte.

Ziel der Arbeit

Ziel dieser Arbeit ist, die derzeitige Anwendung der ESPGHAN-Leitlinien in Deutschland sowie Barrieren, die die Umsetzung verhindern, abzubilden.

Material und Methoden

Zusammen mit einer Expertengruppe und Institutionen aus dem deutschsprachigen Raum hat die „European Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants“ (EFCNI) eine Befragung durchgeführt. Mit einem Online-Fragebogen wurden Pädiaterinnen/Pädiater (PÄD) und Krankenhausapothekerinnen/Krankenhausapotheker (KHA) aus deutschen Perinatalzentren und Krankenhausapotheken bezüglich der Umsetzung der Leitlinien befragt. Die Ergebnisse wurden qualitativ und quantitativ ausgewertet.

Ergebnisse und Diskussion

Von 558 angeschriebenen Kontakten wurden 196 gültige Umfragen ausgewertet. Nach Eigenangaben wenden 77 % der PÄD und 48 % der KHA die ESPGHAN-Leitlinien an. Barrieren wurden innerhalb der klinischen Anwendung identifiziert und waren teilweise struktureller und/oder organisatorischer Natur. Verbesserungsbedarf wurde in der Bereitstellung von parenteralen Standardlösungen, insbesondere am Wochenende, und elektronischen Verordnungssystemen, der Verabreichung von Lipiden bereits am 1. Lebenstag und der regelmäßigen Beurteilung aller Laborparameter beobachtet.

Parenteral Nutrition Prescribing and Order Review Safety Study: The Need for Pharmacist Intervention

INTRODUCTION

Errors have been reported in the literature to occur at each step of the parenteral nutrition (PN) use process, necessitating standardized processes, clinician competence, and open communication for those involved. This study was performed at Central Admixture Pharmacy Services (CAPS®) in collaboration with the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) with the purpose to study the need for and success of PN pharmacist interventions.

METHODS

A survey was developed and sent to all CAPS customers for study enrollment and to identify their demographic and practice characteristics. For those enrolled, CAPS pharmacists reviewed every PN order in a 1-month period using an error/intervention tool to capture data on prescription elements requiring intervention, along with acceptance of that intervention.

RESULTS

Two hundred thirty-two unique CAPS customers (23% response rate) participated in the study, representing 37,634 unique PN prescriptions. Two hundred forty-eight PN prescriptions (0.66%) from 59 customers required ≥1 intervention. The top 3 intervention types were electrolyte dose clarification, calcium/phosphorus incompatibility, and amino acid dose clarification. A greater number and percentage of interventions were required for neonatal prescriptions, as compared with adult and pediatric prescriptions. No significant difference was found in many of the other customer characteristics.

CONCLUSION

This study supports the need for institutions to develop systems to comply with published PN safety recommendations, including knowledgeable and skilled pharmacists to complete the order review and verification steps for this high-alert medication.

Current State of Nutrition Education in Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Fellowship Programs in the United States and Canada

OBJECTIVES

To assess the current state of nutrition education provided during pediatric critical care medicine fellowship.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional survey.

SETTING

Program directors and fellows from pediatric critical care medicine fellowship programs in America and Canada.

SUBJECTS

Seventy current pediatric critical care medicine fellows and twenty-five pediatric critical care medicine fellowship program directors were invited to participate.

INTERVENTIONS

Participants were asked demographic questions related to their fellowship programs, currently utilized teaching methods, perceptions regarding adequacy and effectiveness of current nutrition education, and levels of fellow independence, comfort, confidence, and expectations in caring for the nutritional needs of patients.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Surveys were sent to randomly selected program directors and fellows enrolled in pediatric critical care medicine fellowship programs in America and Canada. Twenty program directors (80%) and 60 fellows (86%) responded. Ninety-five percent of programs (19/20) delivered a formal nutrition curriculum; no curriculum was longer than 5 hours per academic year. Self-reported fellow comfort with nutrition topics did not improve over the course of fellowship (p = 0.03), with the exception of nutritional aspects of special diets. Sixty-five percent of programs did not hold fellows responsible for writing daily parenteral nutrition prescriptions. There was an inverse relationship between total number of fellows in a pediatric critical care medicine program and levels of comfort in ability to provide parenteral nutrition support (p = 0.01). Program directors perceived their nutritional curriculum to be more effective than did their fellows (p ≤ 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Nutrition education was reported as highly underrepresented in pediatric critical care medicine fellowship curricula. The majority of programs rely on allied health care professionals to prescribe parenteral nutrition, which may influence trainee independence in the provision of nutritional therapies. Improving the format of current nutrition curriculums, by relying on more active teaching methods, may improve the delivery and efficacy of nutrition education. The impact of novel training interventions on improving the competency and safety of enteral and parenteral nutrition delivery in the PICU must be further examined.

[Quality control of parenteral nutrition compounding: gravimetric and component verification control]

Introduction

Introduction: parenteral nutrition (PN) compounding is a process with a high probability of errors. Objective: to analyze PN compounding errors detected using a gravimetric control (GC) and a component verification control (CVC). Methods: a prospective analysis was carried out during a three-year period (January 2016 to December 2018). The MedicalOne Parenteral® software program was used to calculate the theoretical weight of each PN based on density and volume. Each elaborated PN was weighed to obtain the real weight. Gravimetric error (%) ((real weight - theoretical weight) x 100 / theoretical weight) was considered correct if within the ± 5 % interval. The CVC consisted of checking that the correct ingredients and volumes were added according to the PN order. Results: during the study period a total number of 28,761 PNs were checked out; 20,612 adult PNs (APN) were weighed and 124 were considered incorrect (0.60 %). Of the 1,203 non-neonatal pediatric PNs (NPPN), 15 (1.25 %) were incorrect, and of the 6,946 neonatal PNs (NPN), 164 (2.96 %) were incorrect. Regarding the CVC, 71 errors were detected in the APN (0.70 %), 6 (1.34 %) in the NPPN, and 5 (0.21 %) in the NPN group. The total number of errors included: adding more volume of one component [38 (46.34 %)], adding a wrong component [27 (32.93 %)], and absent volume of one component [17 (20.73 %)]. Conclusions: the quality control carried out allowed to detect errors during the preparation of PNs and prevented them from reaching the patient. More incorrect NPNs were detected through GC. The main error detected with CVC was adding more volume of a component.

Rapid Diagnosis of Altered Mental Status in Home Parenteral Nutrition Patient

This report describes the application of a routine lab test to confirm a diagnosis of hypernatremia suspected to be secondary to an error in parenteral nutrition compounding. The novel aspect of this case is the use of the "urine electrolytes" laboratory test to verify that the electrolyte concentration of the mixture is consistent with what was printed on the bag label.

Parenteral nutrition: a call to action for harmonization of policies to increase patient safety

Unsafe medication practices and medication errors are leading causes of injury and avoidable harm worldwide and are highest in vulnerable groups. In 2017, the World Health Organization launched the third Medication Without Harm Global Patient Safety Challenge to try to reduce risks related to medical treatment. Parenteral nutrition (PN) is in the unique position that, although licensed products are available from manufacturers, formulas may be prepared ad hoc for first-line use that might not be subject to the same regulatory oversight. Safety issues around PN can arise through lack of harmonization in practices, misinterpretation and product unfamiliarity and can occur at any stage from prescription to preparation to administration. Government legislation and regulation vary considerably, with PN not explicitly handled in many countries. We therefore call on policy leaders in all countries to establish policies that ensure patient safety, and that these include PN along with medicines. The available evidence supports obtaining industry prepared PN as first-line therapy for reasons of safety, primarily, and of cost. If a suitable industry prepared ready-to-use PN is not available, standardized all-in-one PN admixtures should be the next line of care, with individualized PN being reserved for patients whose complex nutritional needs cannot be met using standardized admixtures.

ASPEN Lipid Injectable Emulsion Safety Recommendations, Part 1: Background and Adult Considerations

Lipid injectable emulsions (ILEs) are complex pharmaceutical formulations used as a source of energy and essential fatty acids in parenteral nutrition. Issues associated with ILE use are distinctly different from oral fat and arise from emulsion stability, dose, and infusion tolerance. Since 1975, soybean oil has been the consistent source oil used in ILE formulations in the US. Partly because of safety concerns with the soybean-based ILE and frequent and long-standing problems with product inventory shortages, new ILE products have become available. Gaps in ILE best practices create a risk for ILE safety errors in prescribing, compounding, and administration of these products. This paper provides information on appropriate indications, dosing, and methods to avoid potential errors with ILE products in the US. This paper (Part 1) will focus on ILE background, information, and recommendations for adult patients, whereas Part 2 of this series will focus on neonatal and pediatric patient-specific information.

Dosing errors in total parenteral nutrition prescriptions at a specialized cancer care hospital of Lahore: The role of clinical pharmacist

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To determine the role of pharmacist in identifying the frequency of errors in total parenteral nutrition prescriptions in cancer patients for the years 2015 and 2016. Total parenteral nutrition has a high potential for medical errors because of its complex composition, thus leading to severe complications. Pharmacist review of the prescriptions reduces the risk of inappropriate prescribing, preparation, and administration of parenteral nutrition.

METHODOLOGY

An observational study was performed by collecting data of total parenteral nutrition prescriptions of 71 patients for the last two years from Pharmacy Department of specialized cancer care hospital.

RESULTS

It was found that the frequency of dosing errors and incomplete prescriptions was higher in 2015 compared to 2016. Additionally, the frequency of macro and micronutrients dosing errors were higher in adults (23.4% and 66.2%) compared to pediatrics (14.6% and 46.6%). Furthermore, the frequency of illegible prescriptions was higher (5.03%) in year 2016 as compared to year 2015 (1.64%). Nevertheless, such dose interventions improved patient's weight (20%) and promoted enteral feeding (42.3%). Major complication was hypophosphatemia (39.4%) followed by hyperglycemia (10%) and catheter-induced infection, i.e. sepsis (4.2%).

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, data suggested that pharmacist played instrumental role in identifying and rectifying total parenteral nutrition dosing errors for both micronutrients and macronutrients-with higher frequency in 2015 compared to 2016, leading to improvements in total parenteral nutrition-related complications and switches to enteral feeding.

Standardising the Classification of Harm Associated with Medication Errors: The Harm Associated with Medication Error Classification (HAMEC)

Classifying harm associated with a medication error can be time consuming and labour intensive and limited studies undertake this step. There is no standardised process, and few studies that report harm assessment provide adequate methods to allow for study replication. Studies typically mention that a clinical review panel classified patient harm and provide a reference to a classification tool. Moreover, in many studies it is unclear whether potential or actual harm was classified as studies refer only to ‘error severity’. The tools used to categorise the severity of patient harm vary widely across studies and few have been assessed for inter-rater reliability and criterion validity. In this paper, we describe the systematic process we undertook to synthesise the defining elements and strengths, while mitigating the limitations, of existing harm classification tools to derive the Harm Associated with Medication Error Classification (HAMEC). This new tool provides a harm classification for use across clinical and research settings. The provision of an explicit process for its application and guiding category descriptors are designed to reduce the risk of misclassification and produce results that are comparable across studies. As the World Health Organisation embarks on its international safety challenge of reducing medication-related harm by 50%, accompanying methodological advances are required to measure progress.

Controlling Risks in the Compounding Process of Individually Formulated Parenteral Nutrition: Use of the FMECA Method (Failure modes, effects, and Criticality Analysis)

Parenteral nutrition (PN) in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) involves a succession of risky processes. The objective was to identify and prioritize the risks associated with PN in order to improve the quality of the pathway. A failure modes, effects, and criticality analysis (FMECA) was used to identify potential PN pathway failure modes. A multidisciplinary working group conducted a functional analysis of the processes, then listed the failure modes (FM). The FM criticality was assessed on a scale from 1 to 5 for occurrence (O), severity (S), and detection (D). The risk priority number (RPN), ranging from 1 to 125, was calculated. The FMECA identified 99 FM (prescription (n=28), preparation (n=48), and administration (n=23)). The median RPN was 12, with scores ranging from 3 to 48. 25 % of the scores had an RPN>21.75.

Among them, 12 were associated with prescription FM, 5 were associated with FM related to preparation and 8 were associated with a FM linked to administration. It allowed us to prioritize areas of potential quality improvement for parenteral nutrition of the preterm infant. The results demonstrated the need for the presence of a clinical pharmacist in the NICU to ensure the quality of PN process.

Use of Integrated Clinical Decision Support Tools to Manage Parenteral Nutrition Ordering: Experience From an Academic Medical Center

Parenteral nutrition (PN) is a complex therapy with numerous opportunities for error during the prescribing, preparation, and administration processes. Advances in technology, such as computerized provider order entry (CPOE), electronic health records (EHRs), and clinical decision support (CDS) have helped decrease the risks associated with PN therapy. These technologies can be utilized to guide prescribing, provide automated safety checks, and increase overall safety and accuracy in PN ordering, compounding, and administration. In recent years, increased awareness of the risks associated with PN therapy, in particular issues with ordering and transcription, have magnified the need for improved support of PN ordering within currently available systems. Additionally, drug shortages continue to impact key components of PN admixtures, further increasing the risks associated with this complex therapy. These concerns and risks present an opportunity for the development of new functionality, as well as improvements in and innovative utilization of available technology within systems supporting the PN use process. This discussion will highlight the risks associated with PN, examine the role of drug shortages on the safety of this therapy, describe the application of available technology to manage shortages, and report the experience of using commercially available CDS tools at one academic medical center. It will also include a discussion of the transition from paper orders to CPOE/EHR-based orders for PN and the transition from one commercially available electronic system to another at this particular institution.

[Neonates treated with individualized parenteral nutrition who are candidates to receive standardized parenteral nutrition]

Introduction

Objetive: to quantify the number of neonates treated with individualized parenteral nutrition (IPN) who were candidates to receive standardized parenteral nutrition (SPN), and to calculate their treatment duration. Material and methods: this was a prospective, observational, descriptive cohort study. Inclusion criteria were: neonates with indication of parenteral nutrition (PN) and individualized prescription. Exclusion criteria included: patients who had not started diuresis, with specific nutritional needs, altered acid-base balance, and/or contraindication to receive SPN. Included variables were patient-related (gender, weight, weeks of gestation, and days of life) and treatment-related regarding IPN composition. Setting the volume of PN as the conversion criterion, theoretical contributions were calculated with the SPN. The criterion for a patient to be a candidate to receive SPN was that all the theoretical contributions calculated were within the reference requirements range. Results: a total of 33 neonates (9 women) received IPN with 94 prescriptions. The median weight of the patients included in the study was 2.14 (IQR, 0.9) kg, and they were born at 35 (IQR, 3) weeks of gestation. PN began between 0 and 4 days of life. In all, 71 % (22/31) of the patients in 54.1 % of their (46/85) prescriptions were candidates to receive SPN via central administration for 1 to 8 days, whereas no patient was candidate to receive SPN via peripheral administration. Conclusions: in our center, 71 % of neonates treated with central administration of IPN are candidates to receive SPN, thus promoting the normalization of nutritional support in this population.

Quality and safety of parenteral nutrition for newborn and preterm infants as an on-ward preparation

BACKGROUND

For newborn and preterm infants, standardised and individual parenteral nutrition (PN) is used. PN preparation is at risk for contamination and dosing errors. The quality of PN is crucial for infants and has a direct impact on their health status and safety.

PURPOSE

The aim of this study is to evaluate the physicochemical and microbial quality of PN for newborn and preterm infants prepared on a neonatal ward.

METHODS

Sampling of various individual PN prepared by nurses on a neonatal ward was performed. Formulations included maximal four electrolytes, variable dextrose and amino acid concentrations. Depending on the sample volume, up to three quality analyses were performed: (1) test for bacterial endotoxins by kinetic-chromogenic method, (2) sterility according to the European and US Pharmacopoeia, and (3) quantification of electrolytes by capillary electrophoresis and of dextrose by ultraviolet detection after enzymatic reaction of hexokinase. The concentrations obtained were evaluated based on the US and Swiss Pharmacopoeia specifications for compounded preparations and compared to the widened pharmacy specifications.

RESULTS

The composition of 86% of the 110 analysed PN prepared by nurses on the neonatal ward corresponded to their medical prescription. 14% were out of the acceptable widened pharmacy ranges. We found no microbial contamination in the samples. All PN were free from endotoxins.

CONCLUSION

Component concentrations of PN prepared on wards by nurses differed frequently and significantly from their medical prescription, and the deviation can be critical depending on the component and its mode of action. The sample size is too small to evaluate the microbial contamination.

A call to action for optimizing the electronic health record in the parenteral nutrition workflow

Parenteral nutrition (PN) is a complex therapeutic modality provided to neonates, children, and adults for various indications. Surveys have shown that current electronic health record (EHR) systems are in need of functionality enhancement for safe and optimal delivery of PN. This is a consensus statement from the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists outlining some of the key challenges to prescribing, order review/verification, compounding, and administration of PN using EHRs today and is a call to action for clinicians and vendors to optimize their EHRs regarding the PN build and workflow.

A Call to Action for Optimizing the Electronic Health Record in the Parenteral Nutrition Workflow

Parenteral nutrition (PN) is a complex therapeutic modality provided to neonates, children, and adults for various indications. Surveys have shown that current electronic health record (EHR) systems are in need of functionality enhancement for safe and optimal delivery of PN. This is a consensus statement from the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists outlining some of the key challenges to prescribing, order review/verification, compounding, and administration of PN using EHRs today and is a call to action for clinicians and vendors to optimize their EHRs regarding the PN build and workflow.

A Call to Action for Optimizing the Electronic Health Record in the Parenteral Nutrition Workflow

Parenteral nutrition (PN) is a complex therapeutic modality provided to neonates, children, and adults for various indications. Surveys have shown that current electronic health record (EHR) systems are in need of functionality enhancement for safe and optimal delivery of PN. This is a consensus statement from the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists outlining some of the key challenges to prescribing, order review/verification, compounding, and administration of PN using EHRs today and is a call to action for clinicians and vendors to optimize their EHRs regarding the PN build and workflow.

Failure Mode, Effect, and Criticality Analysis of the Parenteral Nutrition Process in a Mother-Child Hospital: The AMELIORE Study

BACKGROUND

The parenteral nutrition (PN) process is complex and involves multiple steps and substeps, especially in pediatrics and neonatology, given the particular needs of these patients. The objective of this study was to perform a critical analysis of the PN process at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine to determine which potential pitfalls are related to this process and which should be prioritized when implementing corrective measures.

METHODS

This is a Failure Mode, Effect, and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) study. A multidisciplinary team assessed each step of the PN process and identified associated failure modes. Adapted rating scales were used to determine severity, frequency, and detectability of the failure modes. Ratings were established through multidisplinary consensus, and a criticality index (CI) was calculated for each failure mode.

RESULTS

A total of 265 failure modes were identified in the 5 major steps of the PN process. The failure mode with the highest CI was the inscription of an inaccurate weight at prescription, with a CI of 800. The step with the highest cumulative CIs was administration to patients, with a CI sum of 7691. Various recommendations aimed at minimizing the risks associated with the PN process were made following this FMECA. Additional interventions are expected to emanate from this project because data will be presented throughout the departments involved.

CONCLUSION

This study is a successful example for other hospitals interested in carrying out the same kind of healthcare improvement initiative.

Technology in Parenteral Nutrition Compounding

Technology is constantly being used in novel ways, and its use in the practice of medicine is no exception. Examples of this include computer physician order entry, barcode-medication scanning, electronic health records (EHRs), and bedside patient charts, to name a few. Compounding parenteral nutrition has been included in this technological revolution, with improvements such as barcode-assisted medication preparation systems and EHR-to-compounder interfaces. Along with some of these electronic advancements come the inevitable improvements and challenges, which are explored in this article.

Management of the General Process of Parenteral Nutrition Using mHealth Technologies: Evaluation and Validation Study

Background

Any system applied to the control of parenteral nutrition (PN) ought to prove that the process meets the established requirements and include a repository of records to allow evaluation of the information about PN processes at any time.

Objective

The goal of the research was to evaluate the mobile health (mHealth) app and validate its effectiveness in monitoring the management of the PN process.

Methods

We studied the evaluation and validation of the general process of PN using an mHealth app. The units of analysis were the PN bags prepared and administered at the Son Espases University Hospital, Palma, Spain, from June 1 to September 6, 2016. For the evaluation of the app, we used the Poststudy System Usability Questionnaire and subsequent analysis with the Cronbach alpha coefficient. Validation was performed by checking the compliance of control for all operations on each of the stages (validation and transcription of the prescription, preparation, conservation, and administration) and by monitoring the operative control points and critical control points.

Results

The results obtained from 387 bags were analyzed, with 30 interruptions of administration. The fulfillment of stages was 100%, including noncritical nonconformities in the storage control. The average deviation in the weight of the bags was less than 5%, and the infusion time did not present deviations greater than 1 hour.

Conclusions

The developed app successfully passed the evaluation and validation tests and was implemented to perform the monitoring procedures for the overall PN process. A new mobile solution to manage the quality and traceability of sensitive medicines such as blood-derivative drugs and hazardous drugs derived from this project is currently being deployed.

Parenteral Protein Decision Support System Improves Protein Delivery in Preterm Infants: A Randomized Clinical Trial

BACKGROUND

Management of neonatal parenteral protein intake for preterm infants is challenging and requires daily modifications of the dose to account for the infant's postnatal age, birth weight, current weight, and the volume and protein concentration of concurrent enteral nutrition. The objective of this study was to create and evaluate the Parenteral Protein Calculator (PPC), a clinical decision support system to improve the accuracy of protein intake for preterm infants who require parenteral nutrition (PN).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We integrated the PPC into the computerized provider order entry system and tested it in a randomized controlled trial (routine or PPC). Infants were eligible if they were ≤3 days old, had a birth weight ≤1500 g, and had no inborn error of metabolism. The primary outcome was the appropriate total protein intake, defined as target protein dose ±0.5 g/kg.

RESULTS

We randomly allocated 42 infants for 221 PN days in the control group and 211 in the PPC group. Total protein intake in the PPC group was more accurate as compared with the control group (appropriate protein dosing: odds ratio = 5.8; 95% CI, 2.7-12.4). Absolute deviation from protein target was 0.41 g/kg (0.24-0.58) lower in the PPC group.

CONCLUSION

The PPC improved appropriate protein dosing for premature infants receiving PN. Further studies are needed to test whether clinical decision support systems will reduce uremia and improve growth and to replicate similar findings in the cases of other PN nutrients.

Systematic evidence review of rates and burden of harm of intravenous admixture drug preparation errors in healthcare settings

OBJECTIVE

To examine published evidence on intravenous admixture preparation errors (IAPEs) in healthcare settings.

METHODS

Searches were conducted in three electronic databases (January 2005 to April 2017). Publications reporting rates of IAPEs and error types were reviewed and categorised into the following groups: component errors, dose/calculation errors, aseptic technique errors and composite errors. The methodological rigour of each study was assessed using the Hawker method.

RESULTS

Of the 34 articles that met inclusion criteria, 28 reported the site of IAPEs: central pharmacies (n=8), nursing wards (n=14), both settings (n=4) and other sites (n=3). Using the Hawker criteria, 14% of the articles were of good quality, 74% were of fair quality and 12% were of poor quality. Error types and reported rates varied substantially, including wrong drug (~0% to 4.7%), wrong diluent solution (0% to 49.0%), wrong label (0% to 99.0%), wrong dose (0% to 32.6%), wrong concentration (0.3% to 88.6%), wrong diluent volume (0.06% to 49.0%) and inadequate aseptic technique (0% to 92.7%)%). Four studies directly compared incidence by preparation site and/or method, finding error incidence to be lower for doses prepared within a central pharmacy versus the nursing ward and lower for automated preparation versus manual preparation. Although eight studies (24%) reported ≥1 errors with the potential to cause patient harm, no study directly linked IAPE occurrences to specific adverse patient outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

The available data suggest a need to continue to optimise the intravenous preparation process, focus on improving preparation workflow, design and implement preventive strategies, train staff on optimal admixture protocols and implement standardisation. Future research should focus on the development of consistent error subtype definitions, standardised reporting methodology and reliable, reproducible methods to track and link risk factors with the burden of harm associated with these errors.

Influence of Dietitians in Preventing Parenteral Nutrition Prescription Errors in Children

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study is to determine whether direct involvement by dietitians in parenteral nutrition (PN) ordering resulted in a reduction in PN prescriptions errors.

METHODS

A prospective audit of PN prescriptions was undertaken at a pediatric hospital over 50 weeks. Prescriptions for PN that had dietitian involvement (dietitian group) were compared with prescriptions in which dietitians were not directly involved (nondietitian group). The number of total prescriptions, the number of prescriptions with errors, and the types of errors from both groups were recorded. Errors were classified into "dietitian-preventable errors" and "nondietitian-preventable errors." Comparisons were made between prescriptions with and without errors, between dietitian-preventable and nondietitian-preventable errors, and between the dietitian and nondietitian groups per error type.

RESULTS

The total number of PN prescriptions was 725 (from 45 patients) and 471 (from 66 patients) for the dietitian and nondietitian groups, respectively. The nondietitian group was more likely than the dietitian group to prescribe PN incorrectly-18.0% (85 of 471) vs 12.4% (90 of 725; P = .007)-with the nondietitian group having 1.5-times more PN prescriptions with errors (risk ratio = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.1-1.9). The total number of prescription errors was 126 and 146 for the dietitian and nondietitian groups, respectively. The dietitian group was less likely than the nondietitian group to be associated with dietitian-preventable errors: 65.9% (83 of 126) vs 87.0% (127 of 146; risk ratio = 1.3, 95% CI: 1.1-1.5; P < .0001).

CONCLUSION

Dietitian input into prescription of PN reduced the number of prescriptions with errors.

Home Parenteral Nutrition and Intravenous Fluid Errors Discovered Through Novel Clinical Practice of Reconciling Compounding Records: A Case Series

Home parenteral nutrition (HPN) and home intravenous (IV) hydration are complex, high-risk life-sustaining therapies for children and adults with severe digestive disorders. HPN compounding errors have the potential to cause serious patient harm. Here we present a retrospective case series at an interdisciplinary pediatric HPN program that includes specialized pharmacists reconciling prescriptions against commercial compounding records. Seven HPN or IV hydration patients were affected by significant errors in anion balance, copper, potassium, sodium, and infusion volume. Outpatient pharmacists' or other clinicians' review of compounding records as part of routine quality assurance process is critical for identifying and preventing errors.

A Mnemonic for Pharmacists to Ensure Optimal Monitoring and Safety of Total Parenteral Nutrition: I AM FULL

Objective: To present a guideline-derived mnemonic that provides a systematic monitoring process to increase pharmacists’ confidence in total parenteral nutrition (TPN) monitoring and improve safety and efficacy of TPN use. Data Sources: The American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) guidelines were reviewed. Additional resources included a literature search of PubMed (1980 to May 2016) using the search terms: total parenteral nutrition, mnemonic, indications, allergy, macronutrients, micronutrients, fluid, comorbidities, labs, peripheral line, and central line. Articles (English-language only) were evaluated for content, and additional references were identified from a review of literature citations. Study Selection and Data Extraction: All English-language observational studies, review articles, meta-analyses, guidelines, and randomized trials assessing monitoring parameters of TPN were evaluated. Data Synthesis: The ASPEN guidelines were referenced to develop key components of the mnemonic. Review articles, observational trials, meta-analyses, and randomized trials were reviewed in cases where guidelines did not adequately address these components. Conclusions: A guideline-derived mnemonic was developed to systematically and safely manage TPN therapy. The mnemonic combines 7 essential components of TPN use and monitoring: Indications, Allergies, Macro/Micro nutrients, Fluid, Underlying comorbidities, Labs, and Line type.

Incidence and Severity of Prescribing Errors in Parenteral Nutrition for Pediatric Inpatients at a Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

OBJECTIVES

Pediatric inpatients are particularly vulnerable to medication errors (MEs), especially in highly individualized preparations like parenteral nutrition (PN). Aside from prescribing via a computerized physician order entry system (CPOE), we evaluated the effect of cross-checking by a clinical pharmacist to prevent harm from PN order errors in a neonatal and pediatric intensive care unit (NICU/PICU).

METHODS

The incidence of prescribing errors in PN in a tertiary level NICU/PICU was surveyed prospectively between March 2012 and July 2013 (n = 3,012 orders). A pharmacist cross-checked all PN orders prior to preparation. Errors were assigned to seven different error-type categories. Three independent experts from different academic tertiary level NICUs judged the severity of each error according to the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCC MERP) Index (categories A-I).

RESULTS

The error rate was 3.9% for all 3,012 orders (118 prescribing errors in 111 orders). 77 (6.0%, 1,277 orders) errors occurred in the category concentration range, all concerning a relative overdose of calcium gluconate for peripheral infusion. The majority of all events (60%) were assigned to categories C and D (without major harmful consequences) while 28% could not be assigned due to missing majority decision. Potential harmful consequences requiring interventions (category E) could have occurred in 12% of assessments.

CONCLUSION

Next to systematic application of clinical guidelines and prescribing via CPOE, order review by a clinical pharmacist is still required to effectively reduce MEs and thus to prevent minor and major adverse drug events with the aim to enhance medication safety.

Discrepancies Between Prescribed and Actual Pediatric Home Parenteral Nutrition Solutions

BACKGROUND

Home parenteral nutrition (HPN) is increasingly prescribed for pediatric patients with complex medical conditions. Commercial vendors are widely available to compound HPN. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of discrepancies between written HPN prescriptions and commercially compounded solutions, as well as to record the associated severity of harm from discrepancies.

METHODS

From January to April 2013, 2 clinical pharmacists independently and prospectively reconciled HPN compounding records with electronic prescriptions (gold standard) during all routine ambulatory encounters to a multidisciplinary HPN program. Types, severity, and causes of discrepancies were recorded.

RESULTS

Sixty-one unique patients were identified for inclusion during 117 visits. HPN solutions were compounded at 13 unique vendors across 14 states. Of all 100 compounding records, 46 (46%) contained at least 1 discrepancy, with a total of 60 discrepancies identified, affecting 34 of 61 (56%) patients. There was at least 1 discrepancy in solutions originating from 10 of 13 (77%) home infusion companies. Discrepancies were classified as Medication Error Reporting and Prevention levels C (n = 37) and D (n = 23; ie, all reaching patient but not causing harm).

CONCLUSIONS

We found an alarmingly high rate of preparation discrepancies in a cohort of pediatric patients receiving HPN. Routine reconciliation of HPN compounds with intended prescriptions may be critical for ambulatory patients receiving this high-risk therapy. While home infusion commercial vendors provide an indispensable function, discrepancies and errors with potential for harm may be more common than previously appreciated.