Medication stewardship in the operating theatre in Malaysia: A quality improvement project. DOI: 10.4103/ija.ija_1186_23

 

Original Article

Medication stewardship in the operating theatre in Malaysia: A quality improvement project

Yunus, Siti Nadzrah; Suhaimi, Nur Haryanti Izumi¹; Ng, Ka Ting; Jamal Azmi, Ili Syazana; Md Hashim, Noorjahan Haneem; Shariffuddin, Ina Ismiarti

Indian Journal of Anaesthesia 68(10):p 882-888, October 2024. | DOI: 10.4103/ija.ija_1186_23

Here are five key messages from the paper:

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Medication errors are common in operating theaters (OTs), but many are preventable. The stressful and time-sensitive nature of the OT environment contributes to a high rate of medication errors among anesthesia care providers. Misidentification of drugs, dosage miscalculations, and improper syringe labeling are common mistakes

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Fatigue and a hectic OT environment are major contributing factors to medication errors. The study cited fatigue/overwork and a hectic OT environment as the top two sources of medication errors reported by participants

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The Medication Stewardship–Safe Anaesthesia for ALL (SEAL) project successfully reduced medication errors and drug wastage. The project involved implementing multidirectional interventions, including education on drug costs and medication safety, standardized workflows for drug preparation and administration, and the creation of a medication registry to track errors and near misses

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Standardizing drug preparation procedures and raising awareness of drug costs are effective strategies for reducing waste. Implementing standardized operating procedures (SOPs) for drug handling helped minimize variability in practice, which is especially important in a teaching hospital with rotating trainees. Educating anesthesia care providers about drug costs also promoted more cost-conscious decision-making.

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Sustained efforts are needed to maintain the positive impact of the SEAL project. The study emphasized the importance of continuous reinforcement, especially given the regular turnover of trainees. Ongoing education, monitoring, and support from medication safety officers are key to ensuring long-term success

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https://journals.lww.com/ijaweb/fulltext/2024/10000/medication_stewardship_in_the_operating_theatre_in.7.aspx