The impact of a set of interventions to reduce interruptions and distractions to nurses during medication administration.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the impact of a set of interventions in reducing the interruption/distraction rate during medication administration.


METHODS
Pre- and postintervention observational study of nurses undertaking medication rounds.


METHODS
Acute Medical Admissions Unit (AMAU) of a 1000-bed teaching hospital.


METHODS
A set of measures previously proven successful in reducing interruptions (behaviour modification and staff education; checklists; visible symbols in the form of a red vest; and signage) were adapted and introduced onto the AMAU.


METHODS
Rate of interruptions and distractions pre- and postintervention overall and for each individual source of interruption.


RESULTS
There was a highly significant association (p<0.0001) between the overall interruption/distraction rate and the pre-/postintervention studies, with the rate of interruptions postintervention being 0.43 times that of the preintervention level. When individual sources of interruptions and distractions were compared pre- and postintervention, a significant difference (p<0.05) in the interruption/distraction rate was found for five of the 11 categories assessed.


CONCLUSIONS
The data support a multifactorial approach to reducing the interruption/distraction rate on medication rounds. Suggestions for future research include: directly quantifying the impact of the interventions described in this study on the volume of medication administration errors; assessing the time lost as a result of interruptions and distractions during the medication round; and developing a standardised means of recording and analysing interruptions and distractions to allow meaningful comparison of the benefits of interventions across studies.
Medication Safety Office, Chief Executive Offices, St James's Hospital, James's Street, Dublin 8, Ireland. erelihan@stjames.ie
Eileen
E
Relihan
Valerie
V
O'Brien
Sharon
S
O'Hara
Bernard
B
Silke
D001288:Attention; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000451:nursing*; D005260:Female; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008297:Male; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019370:Observation; D015397:Program Evaluation; D017751:Safety Management