A randomized controlled trial on the effect of a double check on the detection of medication errors.
Douglass AM, Elder J, Watson R, et al. A Randomized Controlled Trial on the Effect of a Double Check on the Detection of Medication Errors. Ann Emerg Med. 2018;71(1):74-82.e1. doi:10.1016/j.annemergmed.2017.03.022.
The use of double checks by two nurses is a strategy to minimize the risk of medication administration error. This randomized controlled trial investigated the effectiveness of double checks in a simulated patient care scenario. The investigators found that double checking did increase rates of error identification compared to single checking, but many errors still went undetected. A prior qualitative study found that double checking is often variably implemented, with clinicians having differing perceptions on how to perform the process effectively.