Interrupting Medication Errors

Medication errors cost the US billions of dollars and thousands of lives every year. Interrupting the nurse administering the medication is a leading cause. A group from Michigan developed a bundle of interventions designed to reduce interruptions. The bundle included:

• A lighted lanyard worn by nursing staff that indicated the nurse was administering meds and to avoid unnecessary interruptions
• The medication room was designated a "No Interruption Zone"
• Scripting for ward clerks to take messages as much as possible during peak med administration times
• Education for patients and families, including scripting to discuss medication safety
• Electronic medication administration review in nurse handoffs

Despite the lanyard thing not working out very well, interruptions and medication errors were decreased.

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