title: Adherence to a medication safety protocol: current practice for labeling medications and solutions on the sterile field.
abstract: Medication labeling omissions in the OR and the adverse events that result from them remain a challenge in health care facilities. Standardization of protocols based on guidance from the Joint Commission, AORN, the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, and other organizations is important to ensure that patients do not mistakenly receive the wrong medication. A clinical nurse specialist and a perioperative education coordinator at the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, undertook a direct observation quality improvement project to assess the adherence of 21 nurses and 19 surgical technologists to a revised medication and solution labeling protocol implemented in February 2008. Results showed that overall, 70% of staff members adhered to the medication and solution labeling protocol but adherence varied among specialty areas. There was increased adherence to the protocol by junior staff members compared with more experienced staff members.
authors.affiliation: Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brown-Brumfield
authors.forename: Agripina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: DeLeon
mesh_terms: D019985:Benchmarking; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D004348:Drug Labeling / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000451:nursing / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009820:Ohio; D009871:Operating Room Nursing / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D017751:Safety Management / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D012996:Solutions; D017749:Total Quality Management
chemical_list: D012996:Solutions