Medication administration errors are more likely for patients under contact precautions than for patients not under contact precautions, according to a study in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.
Researchers compared adverse events for patients in an Australian hospital before and after they were placed under contact precautions — a set of protocols taken in addition to standard measures to reduce the risk of infection transmission. Patients were colonized or infected with vancomycin-resistant enterococcus between January 2009 and October 2010.
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More medication administration errors and potentially preventable nonpressure-related injuries, such as falls from bed, skin tears and self-injuries, occurred after patients were placed under contact precautions. The rates of several other kinds of adverse events, such as diagnosis-related errors and clinical management errors, were not statistically different before and after contact precautions were implemented.
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