Systemic defenses to prevent intravenous medication errors in hospitals: a systematic review (14 March 2020)

Summary

The objective of this systematic review from Kuitunen et al., in the Journal of Patient Safety, was to identify systemic defenses (such as barcode scanning) to confirm drug and patient identity, clinical decision systems, and smart infusion pumps) to prevent in-hospital intravenous (IV) medication errors.

Of the 46 included studies, most discussed systemic defenses related to drug administration; fewer discussed defenses during prescribing, preparation, treatment monitoring and dispensing. Closed loop medication management and smart pumps were the most common systemic defenses examined in the included studies

The authors identify a need for further studies exploring the effectiveness of different combinations of systemic defenses.