The electronic prescribing of subcutaneous infusions: A before-and-after study assessing the impact upon patient safety and service efficiency.
Int J Med Inform 2022;
163:104777. [PMID:
35483130 DOI:
10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2022.104777]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES
To assess the impact of electronically prescribed mixed-drug infusions on the prevalence and types of prescription errors and staff time.
DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS
Before-and-after study on acute medical wards of a large UK teaching hospital, utilising patient and staff data from the assessed wards.
INTERVENTION
Electronically-generated mixed-drug infusions.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
(1) Rate of prescription errors (divided into errors of commission and omission); (2) time taken to process patient discharge prescriptions containing a mixed-drug infusion; and (3) time between prescription and administration of mixed-drug infusions.
RESULTS
100 errors of omission were detected pre-intervention, whilst none were detected post intervention. 6 errors of commission were identified at baseline, whilst 2 were highlighted post intervention (p = 0.149). 14 physicochemically incompatible infusions were prescribed at baseline, post-intervention all infusions were compatible (p < 0.01). Time spent processing discharge prescriptions fell from 60 min (SME±1.7) to 26 min (SME± 2.7; p < 0.01). The median time from prescription to administration reduced from 120 min (95 % CI 106-150) to 65 min (95 % CI 43-85; p < 0.01).
CONCLUSIONS
The intervention eliminated errors of omission and facilitated the prescribing of compatible multicomponent infusions. Electronically prescribed mixed-drug infusions also reduced both the time taken to complete discharge prescriptions and the time taken to commence such infusions.
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