Through focus groups with patients, family caregivers and nurses, this study explored experiences with medication administration and perceived needs for assistance. Patients and caregivers were generally unaware of errors and primarily attributed administration problems to dosage form (eg, lack of confidence in using syringes). Participants identified lack of training or education about proper administration as contributing to administration errors.

Errors in medication preparation and administration can lead to patient harm. Examining the evidence on intravenous preparation errors in hospitals, this systematic review suggests that there is significant opportunity to improve the intravenous medication preparation process.

Implementation of a standardized protocol for administering intravenous medications was associated with a reduction in medication errors in intensive care unit patients.

The authors developed a classification scheme for errors in medication administration, and used this to prioritize interventions to prevent such errors.