Rationed nursing care as one of the indicators of the occurrence of medication errors

The aim was to analyze selected studies on rationed nursing care as one of the indicators that influence the occurrence of medication errors. A descriptive review study. Articles and studies were searched in the following selected electronic databases: EBSCO (Academic Search Ultimate, Academic Search Complete), CINAHL Plus with Full Text, MEDLINE Complete, ScienceDirect and Central & Eastern European Academic Source. The search for relevant sources was based on the following English keywords: unfinished care, omitted care, rationing care, missed care, nursing care, medication errors. Total of 86 contributions found. After duplicit and irrelevant publications were the analysis comprised 8 primary studies and 2 systematic reviews. The studies were concerned with rationed or otherwise defined non-standard nursing care not merely related to medication errors. Each study described selected activities most frequently omitted by nurses with respect to medication: assessment of drug efficacy, medication errors, administration of incorrect drugs or doses, wrong time of administration, high-risk drug protocols and adhering to rules with each administration. The most frequently reported factor influencing the occurrence of missed care was understaffing and the related number of patients per nurse, resulting in a lack of time for selected patient activities. Despite difference in methods, all studies consistently claimed that rationed, unfinished, missed or omitted nursing care has or may have a negative impact on both patients and nurses. Some of the recommendations were increasing the number of nurses, improving team collaboration and work organization including setting systemic and preventive measures.