Erro de medicação: o custo e o impacto das tecnologias preventivas na cadeia medicamentosa

• Autor(a) principal: Vilela, Renata Prado Bereta
• Data de Publicação: 2016
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Biblioteca Digital de Teses e Dissertações da FAMERP
• Texto Completo: http://bdtd.famerp.br/handle/tede/363
• topic: Medication Errors; Costs and Cost Analysis; Disease Prevention; Quality Indicators, Health Care; Technology; Erros de Medicação; Custos e Análise de Custo; Prevenção de Doenças; Indicadores de Qualidade em Assistência à Saúde; Tecnologia; ENFERMAGEM::ENFERMAGEM DE SAUDE PUBLICA::5647390027954931658::600

Introduction: Medication error is a frequent event in health and it may have consequences for the patient, professional, institution, and health system. Currently, many technologies can prevent it. However, it requires financial and professional investment to break down the barrier to make these technologies effective. Objectives: Analyze the scientific production related to the cost of medication errors in the stages of the medication therapy chain; Investigate the occurrence of medication errors; Map and validate the use of established technologies that prevent medication errors; Characterize the training related to medication error prevention and to verify the nursing staff compliance to such training; and analyze the costs of the technologies employed to prevent medication error and its impact on a teaching hospital. Methods: Initially, we performed an integrative literature review (2005-2015). A case study was carried out to calculate the incidence indicator of medication error from the equation proposed by the Commitment to Hospital Quality and document analysis from 2007 to 2015. We used as a data source to map and validate preventive technologies, document analysis and interviews. Subsequently, we drew up flowcharts of the medication process in the medication therapy chain, including preventative technologies at every stage. The validation of these flowcharts occurred through interviews with 26 professionals. We carried out a document analysis of practices performed at the integrated center of permanent education in health, as well as the adherence of the nursing staff to practice through the ratio of professionals working in the respective years. We calculated the direct costs of each technology in the medication therapy chain by multiplying the estimated time spent by the personnel in each activity by its cost, adding to the unit cost of inputs multiplied by the amount of the technology acquisition. The impact of technologies was verified from the historical series associated to the incidence indicator of medication error in relation to the time of implementation of technologies in the field of study. Results: We analyzed 14 articles, with a predominance of evidence level 6, through both the hierarchical system (78.5%) and economic evaluations (50%). Among the articles, five were related to drug prescription, one to medication therapy management, one to drug prescription and medication therapy management, and seven included all stages of the medication therapy chain. There was a great mismatch of values presented in the estimation of avoidable cost/medication error, ranging from US$ 9, 041.76 to US$ 5,095,640,000.00. The incidence of medication error was 1.4%. The main type of mistake was “omission” (31.2%). Inpatient units were the most ones that notified the error (53.3%). The main cause-related error was “inattention” (93.3%). The work process cause-related error has not been notified (80%). The decision-making after the error was “individual counseling” (71.1%). The process of the medication therapy chain was divided into three sub-processes (prescription, dispensing, and management) including 50 nursing activities. One of the technologies for the prevention of medication errors was mentioned during the practice training. One hundred and twelve practice trainings were offered from 2011 to 2013. These practice trainings were related to medication errors. Most of the participants were nursing auxiliaries/licensed practical nurses (6.804; 69.3%, respectively). However, the adhesion of nurses (7.5%) was higher than that of technical personnel. The main thematic axis addressed axis and that with greater adherence of the nursing staff was “medication process” (19; 17%; 49.6%). We could identify 13 technologies established to prevent medication errors. The average cost/year of these technologies per patient was R$ 55,75 (US$ 13.94) with an annual projection of R$ 10.259.505,10 (US$ 2, 598, 361.55). The average investment per patient in preventive technologies related to the stage of drug prescription was R$ 17,67 (US$ 4.42). Regarding dispensation, the investments reached R$ 16,19 (US$ 4.05), and related to medication therapy management it was R$ 21,89 (US$ 5.47 ). The incidence indicator of medication error showed a gradual decreased from 2007 to 2013 ranging from 2.4% to 0.4%. Conclusion: Medication Errors can be costly at all stages of the medication therapy chain. However, the literature lacks research with a best level of evidence. Medication error indicator is feasible, and it serves as a tool to the manager in the decision-making process. It also helps to establish preventive strategies. The management of the error is still focused on the human error and not to the process failure. This may be the reason for the underreporting of the problem. The process of the medication therapy chain is complex and several professional categories are involved in it. There are several technologies for medication error prevention. However, these require financial investment for the acquisition and awareness/commitment of the nursing personnel to use it. Thus, it can be inferred that there was an improvement in patient safety, once there was a positive impact of the investment in preventive technology in relation to the decrease in medication error indicator as displayed in time series studies.