Quality improvement Project: Minimizing Errors in Preparing and Administering Oral Medications via Feeding Tubes.

Abstract

Background: Complications arising from medication practices involving patient with NGT, include: blockages of the tubes, chemical incompatibility and medication administration inconsistencies. Such mistakes can result in severe AEs, and thus, improved preparation and administration process should be made to avoid jeopardizing patients’ lives.

Objectives: To decrease medication-related errors especially in the administration of oral medicines through NGT in adult clientele through a quality improvement project.

Study Design: A observational study

Place of duration of study. General Medicine Unit B at Ayub Teaching Hospital in Pakistan from jan 2023 to july 2023

 Methods : This is an observational study that was done in two phases in the General Medicine Unit B at Ayub Teaching Hospital in Pakistan Utilizing the PDSA model, planning, doing, studying and acting components were used to form the best practices guidelines. It was also ensured that all the staff members underwent training in terms of the correct NGT medication administration, and the list of medications that are not to be crushed.

 Results : It was cross-sectional in nature with the intervention implemented on 100 medication doses and the second on another 100 medication doses. Mean age was 67 /- 4. 2 years. The t-test calculated for reduction of medication error was significant for which the p-value 0. 01 was obtained after running the quality improvement program. The rate of crushed enteric-coated tablets reduced from seventy–eight percent to thirty – percent, while the rate of adherent tube flushing practices increased. Also, the rate of tube obstructions were brought down from 40 percent to 17 percent per week.

 Conclusion:: The quality improvement intervention successfully reduce errors with oral medications via NGT in adult patients. Applying a strict training program as well as formal procedures helped in increasing safety measures regarding medications and consequently making lower the number of complications arising from medications; this indicated the importance of collectivism in the delivery of patient services.

 Keywords : NGT, Medication Errors- A Study in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety