title: An intervention to improve inpatient medication management: a before and after study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To optimise medication administration, prevent medication errors and improve inpatient safety.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Interventions are needed to reduce medication-related errors and to improve patient safety.
  
  
  METHODS
  A five-point management intervention strategy was developed and implemented. A quasi-experimental design was used to examine its effects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Comparing pre-intervention data with post-intervention data, the rate of accurate compliance with medication policies and procedures increased from 86.7% (645/744 doses observed) to 97.5% (725/744). The success rate of medication administration procedures increased from 94.0% (466/496 doses observed) to 96.8% (480/496). Nurse-initiated medication error reports/total medication error reports increased from 77.1% (101/131) to 95.1% (58/61). Rate of inpatient satisfaction with medication increased from 92.1% (3427/3720) to 98.3% (3656/3720). Complaints related to nursing medication administration decreased from 23 to 6 (73.9% reduction).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The five-point management intervention strategy improved inpatient medication safety: medication errors were reduced, nurses' awareness and skills of medication safety enhanced, inpatient satisfaction improved. However, randomised controlled trials are needed to test its effectiveness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A systematic approach is vital to address the issues of medication errors and patient safety.
authors.affiliation: Southeast University Zhongda Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China.
authors.forename: Cuirong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Guohong
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Nanyuan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Yanyan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D003419:Crisis Intervention / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000451:nursing / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008510:Medication Systems, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D061214:Patient Safety / Q000592:standards*; D017751:Safety Management / Q000379:methods*
keywords: management strategy; medication administration; medication error; nursing; patient safety