Interruptions and nursing workload during medication administration process

ABSTRACT Objective: To investigate the sources and causes of interruptions during the medication administration process performed by a nursing team and measure its frequency, duration and impact on the team’s workload. Métodos: This is an observational study that timed 121 medication rounds (preparation, administration and documentation) performed by 15 nurses and nine nursing technicians in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in the countryside of the state of São Paulo. Resultados: 63 (52.1%) interruptions were observed. In each round, the number of interruptions that happened ranged from 1-7, for 127 in total; these occurred mainly during the preparation phase, 97 (76.4%). The main interruption sources were: nursing staff – 48 (37.8%) − and self-interruptions – 29 (22.8%). The main causes were: information exchanges – 54 (42.5%) − and parallel conversations – 28 (22%). The increase in the mean time ranged from 53.7 to 64.3% (preparation) and from 18.3 to 19.2% (administration) – p≤0.05. Conclusão: Interruptions in the medication process are frequent, interfere in the workload of the nursing team and may reflect on the safety of care.