What Are Interruption Errors In Nursing
Interruptions and Medication Errors
Stephanie Graber
St. Catherine University
Abstract
Healthcare settings can be hectic, demanding, time-constrained environments. Within these environments, nurses are expected to perform tasks that often require their undivided attention. However, nurses are frequently interrupted, which can distract their attention and add to the complexity of their work and affect patient safety. This paper systemically reviews the peer-reviewed literature on interruptions in hospital settings to determine the effects of interruptions and the correlation to medication errors. Based on research, patient safety is at risk relating to medication administration errors due to interruptions and distractions. …show more content…
Medication administration is one of a nurse’s greatest responsibilities because mistakes, accidents, or omissions can result in devastating consequences for both patients and nurses (Popescu, Currey, & Botti, 2011). Whether medication administration occurs in hospitals, clinics, or home health care facilities, a nurse takes on a very important role in the safe preparation and administration. Medication administration and evaluation are fundamental nursing responsibilities. Nurses need to have the knowledge of medication actions and effects (Potter, Perry, Stockert, & Hall, 2013). The United States National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) (2004) reported that 50% of nurses surveyed were involved in patient care errors, with 75% of errors being medication …show more content…
It has been argued that any distraction or interruption during medication administration can result in errors. The practice question was, “does the number of interruptions a nurse experiences during medication administration correlate with medication errors?”
Evidence
The evidence I examined on the contribution to medication administration errors related to interruptions and distractions included a search of the following electronic databases: MEDLINE, CINAHL, PubMed, and Cochrane Library. The majority of the evidence has been published recently, within the past five years, reflecting a recent interest in the topic. Most of the evidence has come from hospital settings.
Search terms used during the process included the following: medication errors, medication safety, drug safety, patient safety, interruptions, distractions, registered nurse, healthcare, error prevention, and
Stephanie Graber
St. Catherine University
Abstract
Healthcare settings can be hectic, demanding, time-constrained environments. Within these environments, nurses are expected to perform tasks that often require their undivided attention. However, nurses are frequently interrupted, which can distract their attention and add to the complexity of their work and affect patient safety. This paper systemically reviews the peer-reviewed literature on interruptions in hospital settings to determine the effects of interruptions and the correlation to medication errors. Based on research, patient safety is at risk relating to medication administration errors due to interruptions and distractions. …show more content…
Medication administration is one of a nurse’s greatest responsibilities because mistakes, accidents, or omissions can result in devastating consequences for both patients and nurses (Popescu, Currey, & Botti, 2011). Whether medication administration occurs in hospitals, clinics, or home health care facilities, a nurse takes on a very important role in the safe preparation and administration. Medication administration and evaluation are fundamental nursing responsibilities. Nurses need to have the knowledge of medication actions and effects (Potter, Perry, Stockert, & Hall, 2013). The United States National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) (2004) reported that 50% of nurses surveyed were involved in patient care errors, with 75% of errors being medication …show more content…
It has been argued that any distraction or interruption during medication administration can result in errors. The practice question was, “does the number of interruptions a nurse experiences during medication administration correlate with medication errors?”
Evidence
The evidence I examined on the contribution to medication administration errors related to interruptions and distractions included a search of the following electronic databases: MEDLINE, CINAHL, PubMed, and Cochrane Library. The majority of the evidence has been published recently, within the past five years, reflecting a recent interest in the topic. Most of the evidence has come from hospital settings.
Search terms used during the process included the following: medication errors, medication safety, drug safety, patient safety, interruptions, distractions, registered nurse, healthcare, error prevention, and