Medication errors: ergonomic analysis of the utensils in the medication living in the hospital environment

From prescription to medication administration, errors that cause pain, suffering and, in extreme cases, death may occur in patients. Thus, the aim of this paper was to identify the problems related to the utensils used in the medication room of a hospital in Florianópolis, in respect to physical, cognitive and organizational ergonomics, in order to propose possible solutions to prepare medications for disposal or minimization of errors in the stream of medication. As a method, they were used: literature review, field visit and assessment tools as physical, cognitive and organizational ergonomics. As a results, it is presented a framework analysing some utensils of medication room, which has been elaborated and related with possible solutions to optimization of the medication process. Thus, it is expected to contribute to improving the work of health professionals and promote better service to the population.

health; pharmaceutical preparations; medication errors; human engineering