Medication administration process assessment: applying lessons learned from commercial aviation.

Medication administration is a major safety issue for patients and providers. The authors describe a commercial aviation-based system safety assessment conducted on the medication administration process for a community teaching hospital in the northeast United States. Processes on 2 medical units and 1 surgical unit were assessed. A sampling of qualitative outcomes is presented in a risk prioritization framework, along with practical recommendations predicated on the valuable lessons learned in commercial aviation.

Source: Dnahue M, Brown JP, Fitzpatrick JJ. J Nurs Adm. 2009 Feb;39(2):77-83.