Variables found to contribute towards or prevent medication administration errors (MAEs)
| Variable | Error*(n = 124) | No error*(n = 563) | Odds ratio(95% CI) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *Nominal data shown as number (%); continuous data shown as median (25–75th percentile). | ||||
| †χ2 test. | ||||
| ‡Fisher’s exact test. | ||||
| §Mann-Whitney U test. | ||||
| ¶Creatinine clearance calculated using total body weight. | ||||
| IV infusion control devices | 9 (7.26) | 219 (38.90) | 0.12 (0.06 to 0.25) | <0.001† |
| Peripheral lines | 112 (90.32) | 410 (72.82) | 3.48 (1.87 to 6.50) | <0.001† |
| Nasogastric feeds | 1 (0.81) | 48 (8.53) | 0.09 (0.01 to 0.64) | 0.001‡ |
| All permanent staff | 90 (72.58) | 476 (84.55) | 0.48 (0.31 to 0.76) | 0.002† |
| Invasive procedure | 67 (54.03) | 365 (64.83) | 0.64 (0.43 to 0.94) | 0.024† |
| Duration of infusion (hour:minute) | 6:49 (3:59–10:20) | 4:05 (1:30–6:45) | 0.90 (0.86 to 0.93) | <0.001§ |
| No of days on IV fluids | 2 (2–4) | 3 (2–6) | 1.09 (1.03 to 1.16) | 0.007§ |
| Creatinine clearance (ml/min)¶ | 97.5 (65.4–124.0) | 101.7 (74.7–137.4) | 1.01 (1.00 to 1.01) | 0.014§ |
| No of IV fluid orders | 3 (1–5) | 3 (2–7) | 1.15 (0.99 to 1.35) | 0.017§ |
| No of beds per bay | 4 (4–4) | 4 (2–4) | 0.79 (0.65 to 0.96) | 0.018§ |
| Age (years) | 60 (51–73) | 56 (46–71) | 0.99 (0.97 to 1.00) | 0.022§ |
| No of non-IV lines | 0 (0–1) | 0 (0–1) | 1.30 (1.05 to 1.62) | 0.024§ |
| No of IV and non-IV lines | 2 (1–2) | 2 (1–3) | 1.23 (1.05 to 1.44) | 0.031§ |