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Impact of the implementation of vasoactive drug protocols on safety and efficacy in the treatment of critically ill patients
Author(s) -
Cuesta López I.,
Sánchez Cuervo M.,
Candela Toha Á.,
Benedí González J.,
Bermejo Vicedo T.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of clinical pharmacy and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.622
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1365-2710
pISSN - 0269-4727
DOI - 10.1111/jcpt.12459
Subject(s) - medicine , critically ill , vasoactive , intensive care unit , intensive care medicine , emergency medicine , blood pressure , patient safety , oxygen saturation , incidence (geometry) , anesthesia , health care , chemistry , physics , organic chemistry , oxygen , optics , economics , economic growth
Summary What is known and objective The correct management of high‐alert medications is a priority issue in expert recommendations for improving the clinical safety of patients. Objectives were to assess the impact of the implementation of vasoactive drug ( VAD ) protocols on safety and efficacy in the treatment of critically ill patients. Methods A prospective before‐and‐after study on the implementation of different VAD protocols, comparing medication errors ( ME s) rates, mean intensive care unit ( ICU ) stay, mean blood pressure ( MAP ), heart rate ( HR ) and oxygen saturation. Results and discussion The study included 432 patients. There was a statistically significant decrease in prescribing errors (55·9%), validation errors (68·1%) and medication administration records ( MAR ) errors (78·8%). No differences were found between the two phases in ICU stay, MAP , HR and oxygen saturation. What is new and conclusion Implementation of protocols decreases variability in clinical practice, reduces the incidence of ME s and maintains the effectiveness of VAD therapy in critically ill patients.