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Nurse contentment
Fowler, Sohler and Zarillo (2009) reported that within six months of the introduction of BCMA technology in a trauma centre, the nurses’ contentment was relatively high compared to the use of non-BCMA administration. This is because the nurses perceived that the BCMA technology made it easier to prevent medication errors thus promoted patient safety. However, there was concern from nurses that only four of the five rights of medication administration were met by the BCMA technology, neglecting the right time of administration.
Additionally, Gooder (2011) disclosed that nurses sampled in an acute care setting expressed discontent after the BCMA technology was introduced into their facility. The key factor attributed to this was the nurses’ negative attitudes towards the use of the technology, which hindered its potential to reduce medication errors and simplify work processes.
Hospital or nursing unit related factors
Incidences of medication administration errors were reduced by 54% when BCMA technology was implemented in two cardiac telemetry units and a medical-surgical unit (Paoletti et al., 2007). Hassink, Duisenberg-van Essenberg, Roukema and van den Bemt (2013) also observed a 50% drop in medication administration errors post-BCMA in a surgical unit. Correspondingly, DeYoung, Vanderkooi and Barletta (2009) pointed out there was a 56% decrease in medication errors classified as wrong time administration, with the use of BCMA in an adult medical intensive care unit. Further, BCMA averted almost 67% of medication administration errors in a critical access hospital (Cochran, Barrett & Horn, 2016). Factors recognized by DeYoung, Vanderkooi and Barletta (2009) as facilitators to the reduction in medication administration errors with the use of BCMA technology included “routine quality assurance” (p.1114) and the use of other health information technologies in addition to the BCMA technology. On that account, organizational and nursing unit related factors could impact the effectiveness of the BCMA technology in lowering medication errors in clinical practice.
However, differences exist in the effect of BCMA technology on medication administration errors between care units (Helmons, Wargel & Daniels, 2009; Seibert, Maddox, Flynn & Williams, 2014). Medication error rates were 58% lower on medical-surgical units compared to intensive care units if observations of wrong time medication administration were excluded. In other words, the use of BCMA technology did not affect wrong time medication...