Medication errors in prescription and administration in critically ill patients.

Aim: To determine the prevalence and magnitude of medication errors and their association with patients' sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and nurses' work conditions.

Design: An observational, analytical, cross-sectional and ambispective study was conducted in critically ill adult patients.

Methods: Data concerning prescription errors were collected retrospectively from medical records and administration errors were identified through direct observation of nurses during drug administration. Those data were collected between April and July 2015.

Results: A total of 650 prescription errors were identified for 961 drugs in 90 patients (mean error 7[SD 4.1] per patient) and prevalence of 47.1% (95% CI 44-50). The most frequent error was omission of the prescribed medication. Intensive care unit stay was a risk factor associated with omission error (OR 2.14; 1.46-3.14: p < .01). A total of 294 administration errors were identified for 249 drugs in 52 patients (mean error 6 [SD 6.7] per patient) and prevalence of 73.5% (95% CI 68-79). The most frequent error was interruption during drug administration. Admission to the intensive care unit (OR 0.37; 0.21-0.66: p < .01), nurses' morning shift (OR 2.15; 1.10-4.18: p = .02) and workload perception (OR 3.64; 2.09-6.35: p < .01) were risk factors associated with interruption.

Conclusions: Medication errors in prescription and administration were frequent. Timely detection of errors and promotion of a medication safety culture are necessary to reduce them and ensure the quality of care in critically ill patients.

Impact: Medication errors occur frequently in the intensive care unit but are not always identified. Due to the vulnerability of seriously ill patients and the specialized care they require, an error can result in serious adverse events. The study shows that medication errors in prescription and administration are recurrent but preventable. These findings contribute to promote awareness in the proper use of medications and guarantee the quality of nursing care.