Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40545841›Full record

SynthesisJournal of evaluation in clinical practice2025

Intravenous Medication Administration Errors in Hospitalised Patients: An Updated Systematic Review.

Sutha Rajakumar, Retha Rajah, Subramaniam Thanimalai, Fadzlin Binti Mohd Mokhtar, Dinesh Sangarran Ramachandram

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of evaluation in clinical practice, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Sutha RajakumarDepartment of Pharmacy, Hospital Seberang Jaya, Jln Tun Hussein Onn, Seberang Jaya, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.
Retha RajahDepartment of Pharmacy, Hospital Seberang Jaya, Jln Tun Hussein Onn, Seberang Jaya, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.
Subramaniam ThanimalaiDepartment of Pharmacy, Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah, Alor Setar, Kedah, Malaysia.ORCID 0000-0002-3080-956X
Fadzlin Binti Mohd MokhtarDepartment of Pharmacy, Sultan Idris Shah Hospital, Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Dinesh Sangarran RamachandramSchool of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.ORCID 0000-0001-5390-7026

Funding

The authors received no specific funding for this work.
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAdministering intravenous (IV) drugs carries a high risk of adverse effects due to their direct entry into circulation. Identifying the prevalence and types of IV administration errors and the drugs involved is crucial for implementing effective interventions to reduce such errors.

aimThis systematic review aimed to examine and synthesise the available articles on medication errors involving IV administration in hospitalised patients.

methodsA comprehensive search was conducted using electronic databases, including PubMed, Ovid Medline, and CINAHL. The search was performed without time limitation up to July 2023. However, only articles published in English and human subjects were included. The quality of the studies was appraised using the Newcastle-Ottawa quality assessment scale (NOS). This systematic review was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023469352).

resultDatabase searches yielded 2177 articles; after duplicate removal, 1717 underwent title and abstract screening, and 23 were included after full-text review. The studies were from 12 countries, and the multicentre study included countries from Europe, Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Australia. The majority of the studies were conducted in either teaching hospitals (n = 11) or university-affiliated hospitals (n = 7), with most involving direct observation (n = 21). IV administration errors exhibit a broad prevalence range of 5.0%-62.9%, involving various types such as wrong diluent, dose, route, rate, technique, omission, and timing. Studies lack uniformity in reporting, with some not specifying prevalence. The highest prevalence of specific errors varies across settings.

conclusionOur review highlights that IV medication error rates vary based on study design, setting, and population. Standardised definitions, reporting procedures, and reliable tracking methods are needed. Human factors, system issues, and environmental stressors influence medication errors. Future research must improve our understanding and address these factors to enhance patient safety and healthcare quality.

Indexed as

Administration, IntravenousHospitalizationMedication ErrorsHumanshospitalisedin‐patientsintravenousmedication administrationmedication errors

Identifiers

PMID40545841
PMCPMC12183495

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.