less interruptions help nurses reduce drug errors

I want to know how I can get paid to do these studies.

I've got plenty of these "duh" topics.

Pumps & pearls - snort!

I visited a facility where on the med cart there was a large notice that said "do not disturb nurse while she is dispensing medications'. Of course if we take it upon ourselves to put that sign up we will get in trouble. Management thinks we can deal with all problems and pass medications correctly and in a timely fashion. They have no ideal what is going on and they admit it whenever they have to counsel us for our mistakes.

This Monday, two nurses called off and the DON had to take a med cart. Prior to that it had been, "You need to manage your time." After that it was, "What do you need?"

How long did it take the DON to do a single med pass? She'd probably still at the cart!!!

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I am a proud former member of the Integrated Nurse Leadership Program. The INLP is privately funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. The foundation donated $8,000,000 to several San Francisco Bay Area hospitals in just the first year of INLP. They continue to grant money but now with matching funds from member hospitals. The main mission is to reduce medication errors committed by nurses, doctors and parmacysts.

The negative comments sent by many nurses here were the same negative comments we the members of INLP heard when we first started the program in our particular units in our hospitals. Many nurses, particularly the 'older' ones said something like: "I've been a nurse for a long time, and I NEVER make medication errors, why should I change?"

Several of the nurses hated me, a few stopped talking to me, the newbies were terrified of me but several nurses supported me as well as the other members of the INLP. By patiently educating all nurses, management support, direct observation of nurses while giving medications, etc, etc, little by little, slowly but surely, nurses' attitudes changed.

How common is the 'socialization' among nurses in the medication room that may cause medication errors because of nurses distraction? We tried to change that culture, nurses are not supposed to engage in unnecessary conversation in the med. room. Does it still happen? Yes, but nurses know they are not supposed to and the majority follow the quiet medication room most of the time. Nothing is perfect, but think of how many medication errors that have been prevented and continue to be prevented not only on a daily basis but on an hourly basis!

Pilots are not supposed to engage in unnecessary conversation below 10,000 feet. This is to prevent accidents from happening by reducing distractions in the 'sterile cockpit' of the airplane. Do violations happen? Again, I think so, but if something catastrophic happens, pilots are legally liable to their actions most especially when lives are lost (or often pilots also die in the accident!). Why then nurses in the vast majority of American hospitals aren't officially required by hospital policy to observe a 'quiet' medication room?

Can nurses in the INLP-member hospitals be interrupted while they are giving medications? Yes of course, but most know interruptions during medication administration time should be kept to a minimum; and the interruption is absolutely necessary. We even educate our patients about the 'no interruption' policy during med. administration!

Additionally, preparing medications for multiple patients at the same time is no longer allowed in the INLP-member hospitals to...prevent medication errors. Many nurses initially resisted this policy and 'cheated' whennever they could, but gradually, with nurses education, nurses attitudes changed.

There are many other things but are too many to list here that were proposed, studied, junked, implemented and practiced.

We are nurses and we save lives. INLP educate nurses prevent medication errors that may result in patient death. How can nurses say no to INLP?

INLP is composed mostly of nurses and doctors who voluntarily devote their precious little free time to this worthy cause. I took early retirement from my hospital job and I'm now in a different line of nursing but I'm forever proud to have been a member of INLP.

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Our DON had to take patients on med-surg last week when our census was through the roof. At the end of the day, when she finally sit down to open her notes, so said "guys, seriously, being a nurse is hard work".



Really!?!? Could have told her that, saved her a lot of trouble.

Yep, walk a shift in my scrubs and "experience" it before telling me how to manage my time better!

Yes the INLP may be doing good things and changing attitudes about what is needed to improve safety. However, after one nurses was audited she asked the INLP person what was considered a distraction. Well this nurse had brought the meds and medication record into the patient's room. Next she stopped to take the patient's vitals before giving antihypertensives. Yep that was considered a distraction!! what freakin world are these people in? Nurses multitask and it isn't always a bad thing. Yes , take away my phone and stop overhead paging me when I don't answer. I need a manageable and safe assignment and we need enough ancillary staff to assist patients while we are administering medication!!! Make the doctors do a freakin mandatory module on communication skills and educated them to call the charge nurse during med adm times not me!!

Someone probably needed a Phd in order to conduct that research.