PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Shawn C Becker

Publications and source records attributed to Shawn C Becker.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Harmful medication errors in children: a 5-year analysis of data from the USP's MEDMARX program.

Harmful pediatric medication errors are common in hospitals and health systems. Understanding what products are involved in these errors is important in the prevention of future errors. We used data from a voluntary medication error reporting system (MEDMARX) and identified 816 harmful outcomes involving 242 medications during a 5-year period. Eleven medications accounted for more than one third of reported errors (n = 261 or 34.5%). Wrong dosing and omission errors were common and were associated with therapeutic classes such as opioid analgesics (e.g., morphine and fentanyl), antimicrobial agents (e.g., vancomycin and gentamicin), and antidiabetic agents (e.g., insulin). Older commonly used agents still resulted in a substantial number of harmful pediatric medication errors and should be included in the focus of patient safety activities.

Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems↗
PubMed2004

Medication errors in the PACU: a secondary analysis of MEDMARX findings.

Medication errors commonly occur in many health care settings. This review of medication errors illustrates that complex, fast-paced care delivered in PACUs often occurs in an environment where patients encounter numerous processes as they move from preadmission, to preop holding, to the operating room, to PACU, and then back to a clinical unit or discharge. Using a nationally recognized framework, 645 PACU medication error records were analyzed. The errors resulted in a higher than expected threshold of harm (6.8%), with most errors occurring during the administration phase (59%) of the medication use process. Nearly one quarter of the errors involved an improper dose of a medication. Three quarters of the errors were influenced by distractions. More than 130 different products were present in the sample of cases reviewed. Problem areas identified involved epidural analgesia, patient-controlled analgesia, and duplicate doses.

Causality↗
PubMed2003

Medication errors in the OR--a secondary analysis of Medmarx.

Although medication errors can result in serious patient complications or even death, a paucity of information regarding medication errors that occur in the OR exists. AORN and the US Pharmacopeia (USP) collaboratively conducted a secondary analysis of reports of medication errors that occurred in the OR. These reports were submitted to the USP via the Medmarx program. The findings will give perioperative clinicians further insight into the types and causes of medication errors that occur in the OR and will help them develop potential prevention strategies.

Databases, Factual↗
PubMedDate not supplied

An overview of intravenous-related medication administration errors as reported to MEDMARX, a national medication error-reporting program.

Medication errors can be harmful, especially if they involve the intravenous (IV) route of administration. A mixed-methodology study using a 5-year review of 73,769 IV-related medication errors from a national medication error reporting program indicates that between 3% and 5% of these errors were harmful. The leading type of error was omission, and the leading cause of error involved clinician performance deficit. Using content analysis, three themes-product shortage, calculation errors, and tubing interconnectivity-emerge and appear to predispose patients to harm. Nurses often participate in IV therapy, and these findings have implications for practice and patient safety. Voluntary medication error-reporting programs afford an opportunity to improve patient care and to further understanding about the nature of IV-related medication errors.

Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems↗