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Effectiveness of a barcode medication administration system in reducing preventable adverse drug events in a neonatal intensive care unit: a prospective cohort study.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Morriss, FH; Abramowitz, PW; Nelson, SP; Milavetz, G; Michael, SL; Gordon, SN; Pendergast, JF; Cook, EF
Published in: J Pediatr
March 2009

OBJECTIVE: Patients are at risk of harm from medication errors. Barcode medication administration (BCMA) systems are recommended to mitigate preventable adverse drug events (ADEs). Our hypothesis was that a BCMA system would reduce preventable ADEs by 45% in a neonatal intensive care unit. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a prospective, observational, cohort study of a BCMA system intervention in a neonatal intensive care unit. Participants were admitted neonates during 50 weeks. Medication errors and potential or preventable ADEs were detected by a daily structured audit of each subject's medical record, with assignment of an event as a preventable ADE made by blinded assessors. The generalized estimating equation method was used in modeling the targeted, preventable ADE rate with covariates. RESULTS: A total of 92,398 medication doses were administered to 958 subjects. The generalized estimating equation method yielded a relative risk of preventable ADE when the system was implemented of 0.53 (95% confidence limits 0.29 to 0.91, P = .04), adjusted for log(10)doses of medication/subject/day, a significant predictive covariate (P < .001), as well as for birth weight, sex, Caucasian race, birth cohort number, and nursing hours/subject/day. CONCLUSION: The BCMA system reduced the risk of targeted, preventable ADEs by 47%, controlling for the number of medication doses/subject/day, an important risk exposure.

Duke Scholars

Published In

J Pediatr

DOI

EISSN

1097-6833

Publication Date

March 2009

Volume

154

Issue

3

Start / End Page

363 / 368.e1

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Risk Management
  • Prospective Studies
  • Program Evaluation
  • Pediatrics
  • Outcome Assessment, Health Care
  • Medication Systems, Hospital
  • Medication Errors
  • Intensive Care Units, Neonatal
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Humans
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
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Morriss, F. H., Abramowitz, P. W., Nelson, S. P., Milavetz, G., Michael, S. L., Gordon, S. N., … Cook, E. F. (2009). Effectiveness of a barcode medication administration system in reducing preventable adverse drug events in a neonatal intensive care unit: a prospective cohort study. J Pediatr, 154(3), 363-368.e1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2008.08.025
Morriss, Frank H., Paul W. Abramowitz, Steven P. Nelson, Gary Milavetz, Stacy L. Michael, Sara N. Gordon, Jane F. Pendergast, and E Francis Cook. “Effectiveness of a barcode medication administration system in reducing preventable adverse drug events in a neonatal intensive care unit: a prospective cohort study.J Pediatr 154, no. 3 (March 2009): 363-368.e1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2008.08.025.
Morriss FH, Abramowitz PW, Nelson SP, Milavetz G, Michael SL, Gordon SN, et al. Effectiveness of a barcode medication administration system in reducing preventable adverse drug events in a neonatal intensive care unit: a prospective cohort study. J Pediatr. 2009 Mar;154(3):363-368.e1.
Morriss, Frank H., et al. “Effectiveness of a barcode medication administration system in reducing preventable adverse drug events in a neonatal intensive care unit: a prospective cohort study.J Pediatr, vol. 154, no. 3, Mar. 2009, pp. 363-368.e1. Pubmed, doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2008.08.025.
Morriss FH, Abramowitz PW, Nelson SP, Milavetz G, Michael SL, Gordon SN, Pendergast JF, Cook EF. Effectiveness of a barcode medication administration system in reducing preventable adverse drug events in a neonatal intensive care unit: a prospective cohort study. J Pediatr. 2009 Mar;154(3):363-368.e1.
Journal cover image

Published In

J Pediatr

DOI

EISSN

1097-6833

Publication Date

March 2009

Volume

154

Issue

3

Start / End Page

363 / 368.e1

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Risk Management
  • Prospective Studies
  • Program Evaluation
  • Pediatrics
  • Outcome Assessment, Health Care
  • Medication Systems, Hospital
  • Medication Errors
  • Intensive Care Units, Neonatal
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Humans