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Study
Detecting medication order discrepancies in nursing homes: how RNs and LPNs differ.
October 10, 2015
Vogelsmeier A, Anbari A, Ganong L, et al. J Nurs Reg. 2015;6(3):48-56.
Medication order discrepancies (omissions, duplications, contraindications) can lead to serious patient harm. This survey compared 32 registered nurses (RNs) to 70 licensed practical nurses (LPNs) working in nursing homes. The study found that RNs were more likely to detect medication discrepancies in orders for high-risk medications (such as metformin); no significant differences were detected between RNs and LPNs with regard to low-risk medications (such as Metamucil).
