Abstract

GIACHETTO, GUSTAVO; CAPOTE, GABRIELA  and  FERNANDEZ, CECILIA. Preparación y administración de mezclas intravenosas en un servicio de internación pediátrico del Centro Hospitalario Pereira Rossell. Arch. Pediatr. Urug. [online]. 2002, vol.73, n.2, pp.64-68. ISSN 1688-1249.

Intravenous medication represents an important proportion of costs in medication at the Centro Hospitalario Pereira Rossell (CHPR). In clinical practice it is frequent to observe inappropriate handling of intravenous medication. Objective: Evaluate the compliance of the recommendations for the preparation and administration of intravenous mixtures at a pediatric clinic. Methodology: The preparation and administration of intravenous mixtures by 16 nurse assistants was observed during the month of June 2000 at the Clínica Pediátrica "A" of the CHPR. Results: None of the nurses verified the expiration date or the integrity of the medication before its administration. Only half of the staff performed adequate hand washing before the preparation. The use of a single needle for the reconstitution of different medication was a usual practice. Conclusions: A low compliance with the recommendations established for these procedures was observed at the Clínica Pediátrica "A". The evaluation of the compliance with these recommendations in other clinics of this hospital and the development of strategies for continuous education of staff members are necessary. The implementation of a Unit for Reconstitution and Fractionation of intravenous medication in unitary doses will possibly contribute to improve some of these problems.

Keywords : INJECTIONS, INTRAVENOUS [methods].