Dimension: Medication Management
Rationale for measurement
Medicines are the most common treatment used in health care and contribute to significant improvement in health when used appropriately. However, medicines can also be associated with harm and the common use of medicine means they are associated with more errors and adverse events than any other aspect of health care. While rates of serious harm are low, errors can affect health outcome. The prevalence of medication errors is of particular concern because the majority of these errors are generally preventable.
Measurement methodology
In the absence of an internationally accepted robust method for measuring medication incidents, incidents are calculated per 1000 Bed Days Used (BDU).
- Data source: Hospital reporting to National Incident Management System (NIMS).
- Incidents are calculated per 1000 Bed Days Used (BDU)
Target
- Rate of ≥ 4 medication incidents as reported to NIMS per 1,000 bed days used (HSE National Service Plan 2021)
Performance
RCSI Hospital Group
Rationale for measurement
The use of medication remains the most common intervention in health care. The complexity of both medication use and the medication management process, especially in the in-patient setting, create a significant risk for hospitalized patients.
The indicators below are checking that all prescribed medication is administered in accordance with local and national policies, procedures, protocols and guidelines (PPPGs) and as documented in the Guidance for Nurses and Midwifery on medication management (NMBI 2020).
- Patient’s weight and date of weight are recorded on the front page of the medication record
- The patient’s identification wristband is on the patient and details are legible and correct
- There are at least two identifiers, name and Date of Birth (DOB) (if Healthcare Record Number is not in use)
- The allergy status is clearly identifiable on the front page of the medication record
- The prescription is legible with correct use of abbreviations
- All medicines were administered at the prescribed frequency
Measurement methodology and data sources
Based on total bed capacity, samples of 25% of patient records are randomly selected per month from each ward/unit with a minimum of 5 data collections per month for each ward/unit.
Target
90% compliance of the key indicators identified. Quality Care Metrics KPI set is identified as ‘areas of good practice’ are demonstrated 90-100%; ‘areas requiring some improvement’ 80-89%; ‘areas requiring immediate attention and action plans’ 0-79%.
Performance – % Compliance
- Cavan/Monaghan and Drogheda Hospitals achieved target of 90%
- Beaumont and Connolly Hospitals did not achieve target of 90%
- national data not collected
