Abstrakt: |
Introduction Increasing patient safety, in particular the administration of chemotherapy treatments, is at the forefront of all healthcare settings. This consideration prompted the introduction of Barcode scanning for medication administration in the outpatient day therapy clinic. Objectives/Aims The aim of the project was to add a safety feature to the current five rights of medication administration in the setting of chemotherapy treatment. Description/Methodology As chemotherapy treatments are classified as high risk medication, the barcode scanning feature was introduced in November 2023 in our Day Therapy Unit where chemotherapy treatments are provided to outpatients. This decision was made after the team conducted a thorough review of the current publications and studies on how best to reduce medication administration errors. This project involved the participation of various groups of stakeholders, including the IT development team, the nurse managers and educators, as well as a business analyst and the medical oncology nurses. Ongoing consultations were conducted throughout the project to ensure barcode scanning would not impact the current workflow. Various types of equipment and hardware were tested by nurses and their feedback prompted a specific scanner to be selected which would complement the new computer on wheels fitted with drawers for medications. Prior to going live, each nurse completed a training session on how to use the new barcode scanner. Results/Outcomes Three months after the implementation, an audit was conducted which revealed that medication error rates in regard to chemotherapy did not decline, this was due to errors not being associated with the bar code scanning. It was reported that not only nurses, but patients, were positive about this change and the barcode scanning provided them with an increase sense of safety without impacting on the workflow. Conclusion Barcode scanning is an effective way to increase safety in the provision of chemotherapy treatments and reduce medication administration errors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |