Evaluating independent double checks in the pediatric intensive care unit: a human factors engineering approach.
Independent double checking (IDC) has long been recommended to increase medication administration safety, but research on its effectiveness has been mixed. In this study, mandatory IDC were discontinued in a pediatric intensive care unit (except for total parental nutrition and chemotherapy which followed a different administration process). Administration error rates and patient harm were not different in the double checking and single checking periods, and nurse attitudes towards single checking improved during the single checking period.