Clinical Decision Support Solutions Can Prevent 95% Of Medication Errors In The Operating Room

What You Should Know: 

A new study from Massachusetts General Hospital brings promising news for surgical patients. Researchers have found that specialized computer software can dramatically reduce medication errors in the operating room, potentially preventing harm to patients.

The study, published in the journal Anesthesia & Analgesia, published by Wolters Kluwer found that this software, known as clinical decision support (CDS), could have prevented a staggering 95% of medication errors documented at the hospital over a two-year period.

The Deadly Threat of Medication Errors in Anesthesia

The study, led by Dr. Nanji and nurse anesthetist Lynda Amici, analyzed safety reports involving medication errors documented by anesthesia providers at MGH between 2020 and 2022. Two independent reviewers classified the errors and assessed whether they could have been prevented by clinical decision support software.

The analysis of 127 safety reports revealed 80 medication errors. Notably, 76 of these errors (95%) were deemed preventable with the use of such software. Errors involving wrong medication or dosage were particularly susceptible to prevention through this technology.

“Medication errors in the operating room have a high potential to cause serious harm to patients,” says Dr. Karen Nanji, senior author of the study and a physician investigator at Massachusetts General Hospital. These errors can involve administering the wrong medication, the wrong dose, or giving medication to a patient with a known allergy.

How CDS Works

Clinical decision support software acts as a real-time safety net for clinicians. It uses complex algorithms to analyze patient data and provide evidence-based recommendations at the point of care. This can include suggesting the appropriate medication, dosage, and potential interactions with other drugs a patient is taking.

Early Days, Big Potential

“While CDS has the potential to significantly improve both efficiency and safety in the operating room,” says lead author Lynda Amici, a nurse anesthetist, “its use is still in the early stages.”

The researchers emphasize the need for further studies to definitively confirm the effectiveness of CDS on a larger scale. However, the current findings are a strong indicator of its potential to revolutionize surgical safety.

Paving the Way for Safer Surgeries

Massachusetts General Hospital is already taking steps to implement this technology. They’ve developed their own CDS platform called GuidedOR, which is currently in use at their hospital and being adopted by other facilities within the Mass General Brigham healthcare system.