Medication Safety: A Need to Relook at Double-Checking Medicines?

Objective: To present a structured evaluation process that provides evidence that the single-checking (SC) system is not only a viable option in reducing medication errors, but also has the added advantage of increasing staff satisfaction.

Methods: The structured evaluation involved one work improvement process and conducting a survey establishing registered nurses' (RNs') attitude toward SC of medicines. The survey questionnaire included 12 questions with a 5-point Likert scale.

Results: In spite of the increased number of patients, the number of medication errors actually reduced ( < 0.001; two-sample test of proportions) with the implementation of SC of medication for competent and experienced staff. A survey was conducted to establish RNs' attitudes toward SC of medicines 3 years post SC implementation. RNs viewed the single-nurse checking protocol positively. In particular, the nurses considered single-nurse checking as an encouragement to update their drug knowledge and as a time-saving measure, enhancing the quality of patient care. Nonetheless, they also expressed concerns on single-nurse checking.

Conclusions: The findings provide evidence that SC system is a viable way to reducing medication errors and also confer the added advantage of staff satisfaction. Assuring quality and safety involves the need to challenge the based on revealed evidence.