Medication administration is an increasingly complex process, influenced by the number of medications on the market, the number of medications prescribed for each patient, new medical technology and numerous administration policies and procedures. Adverse events initiated by medication error are a crucial area to improve patient safety. This project looked at the complexity of the medication administration process at a regional hospital and the effect of two medication distribution systems. A reduction in work complexity and time spent gathering medication and supplies, was a goal of this work; but more importantly was determining what barriers to safety and efficiency exist in the medication administration process and the impact of barcode scanning and other technologies. The concept of mobile medication units is attractive to both managers and clinicians; however it is only one solution to the problems with medication administration. Read full article