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.
Relihan
Eileen
E
Medication Safety Office, Chief Executive Offices, St James's Hospital, James's Street, Dublin 8, Ireland. erelihan@stjames.ie
O'Brien
Valerie
V
O'Hara
Sharon
S
Silke
Bernard
B
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