Impacto de estratégias para prevenção de erros de medicação envolvendo medicamentos potencialmente perigosos.

Abstract

Introduction:Medication errors and adverse drug events (ADE) are among the leading causes of harm associated with health care. In this perspective, High-Alert Medications (HAMs) is a group of drugs most frequently associated with the occurrence of serious harm to the patient. Objective:The present study aimed to revise the literature regarding strategies for prevention of medication errors involving HAMs in hospitals and its impacts. Methods:A review was performed using the search term “High-alert Medication” in the PubMed database. The following limits were adopted: articles published between 2010 and 2015, in English, Portuguese or Spanish. First, the articles were selected by title, then by the abstract and then by the complete text. Results:Of the 161 articles retrieved, 8 were included. Of these, the following data were collected from these articles: error prevention strategies implemented and their impact. Some studies used health technologies as strategies for prevention. Simpler strategies such as adopting checklists, differentiated identification for HAMs, double check before administration and others were also adopted. All studies retrieved showed positive impacts, highlighting the reduction in the number of ADE. Conclusion: Therefore, diverse preventive measures involving HAM were identified and showed significant impacts.