Medication administration errors in children: Mixed methods study of critical incidents

Aims: Technology-enhanced learning has transformed many aspects of clinical practice.1 Some healthcare organisations in N.Ireland are reluctant to advocate the staff use of mobile phones due to infection control concerns or reported parental complaints. Mobile devices provide a multitude of benefits for clinical staff including increased access to useful apps and other validated point-of care tools, which are of high educational value and have been shown to support better clinical decision making and improved patient outcomes. Methods: We designed a survey assessing parental and staff perception on the use of mobile phones, using a five point Likert scale. 40 staff and 40 carers participated in the questionnaire. We then created two simulated clinical scenario’s assessing administrator and prescriber performance. We assessed length of time to complete task and degree of accuracy, with and without mobile phones. Results: 38/40 (95%) parents and 39/40 (97%) staff members supported the appropriate use of mobile technology. For the drug administration scenario (performed by nursing staff), all participants were quicker using mobile phone assistance. The average length of time was 82 seconds quicker. For the medical prescriber scenario, again all participants were quicker using mobile phons, with an average length of 86 seconds quicker. Accuracy of 100% was maintained in both cohorts in each scenario. Conclusion: This survey highlights the strong carer and staff support for healthcare professionals using mobile phones in clinical areas. We have demonstrated an improvement in efficiency of performing clinical tasks with the assistance of mobile phones, ensuring accuracy was maintained.