Evaluating the Frequency of Errors in Preparation and Administration of Intravenous Medications in the Intensive Care Unit of Shahid-Sadoughi Hospital in Yazd

Background: In most Iranian hospitals, the nurses in the wards prepare intravenous (IV) drugs and unfortunately pharmacists are not involved in this process. The severity of the patients in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) heightens the risk of errors. More over the frequency of using IV drugs in this unit is high, so we decided to determine the frequency and types of errors, which occur in the preparation and administration of commonly, used IV medications in an ICU. Method: A prospective cross sectional study was performed from November 2013 to August 2014, in the intensive care unit in Shahid-Sadoughi hospital in Yazd. Medication errors occurred in the process of preparation and administration of IV drugs, were recorded by a pharmacy student and were evaluated by direct observation, according to the method established by Barker and McConnell. Results: A total number of 843 intravenous doses were evaluated. The most common type of error (34.26%) was the injection of IV doses faster than the recommended rate followed by preparation (15.69%), administration (9.23%) and compatibility with doctor’s order (6.24%). Amikacin was the most common drug involved in errors (41.67%). Most of errors were occurred at afternoon (8 p.m, 28.36%). Conclusion: According to our study the rate of errors in preparation and administration of IV drugs was high in this ICU. Employing more nurses, using developed medical instruments and clinical pharmacists can help to decrease these errors and improve the quality of patient care.