Global Trends of Medical Misadventures Using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision Cluster Y62-Y69 Comparing Pre-, Intra-, and Post-COVID-19 Pandemic Phases: Protocol for a Retrospective Analysis Using the TriNetX Platform.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has sharpened the focus on health care safety and quality, underscoring the importance of using standardized metrics such as the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). In this regard, the ICD-10 cluster Y62-Y69 serves as a proxy assessment of safety and quality in health care systems, allowing researchers to evaluate medical misadventures. Thus far, extensive research and reports support the need for more attention to safety and quality in health care. The study aims to leverage the pandemic's unique challenges to explore health care safety and quality trends during prepandemic, intrapandemic, and postpandemic phases, using the ICD-10 cluster Y62-Y69 as a key tool for their evaluation. OBJECTIVE: This research aims to perform a comprehensive retrospective analysis of incidence rates associated with ICD-10 cluster Y62-Y69, capturing both linear and nonlinear trends across prepandemic, intrapandemic, and postpandemic phases over an 8-year span. Therefore, it seeks to understand how these trends inform health care safety and quality improvements, policy, and future research. METHODS: This study uses the extensive data available through the TriNetX platform, using an observational, retrospective design and applying curve-fitting analyses and quadratic models to comprehend the relationships between incidence rates over an 8-year span (from 2015 to 2023). These techniques will enable the identification of nuanced trends in the data, facilitating a deeper understanding of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical misadventures. The anticipated results aim to outline complex patterns in health care safety and quality during the COVID-19 pandemic, using global real-world data for robust and generalizable conclusions. This study will explore significant shifts in health care practices and outcomes, with a special focus on geographical variations and key clinical conditions in cardiovascular and oncological care, ensuring a comprehensive analysis of the pandemic's impact across different regions and medical fields. RESULTS: This study is currently in the data collection phase, with funding secured in November 2023 through the Ricerca Corrente scheme of the Italian Ministry of Health. Data collection via the TriNetX platform is anticipated to be completed in May 2024, covering an 8-year period from January 2015 to December 2023. This dataset spans pre-pandemic, intra-pandemic, and early post-pandemic phases, enabling a comprehensive analysis of trends in medical misadventures using the ICD-10 cluster Y62-Y69. The final analytics are anticipated to be completed by June 2024. The study's findings aim to provide actionable insights for enhancing healthcare safety and quality, reflecting on the pandemic's transformative impact on global healthcare systems. CONCLUSIONS: This study is anticipated to contribute significantly to health care safety and quality literature. It will provide actionable insights for health care professionals, policy makers, and researchers. It will highlight critical areas for intervention and funding to enhance health care safety and quality globally by examining the incidence rates of medical misadventures before, during, and after the pandemic. In addition, the use of global real-world data enhances the study's strength by providing a practical view of health care safety and quality, paving the way for initiatives that are informed by data and tailored to specific contexts worldwide. This approach ensures the findings are applicable and actionable across different health care settings, contributing significantly to the global understanding and improvement of health care safety and quality. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/54838.

Financial Toxicity in Renal Patients (FINTORE) Study: A Cross-Sectional Italian Study on Financial Burden in Kidney Disease-A Project Protocol.

Financial toxicity (FT) refers to the negative impact of health-care costs on clinical conditions. In general, social determinants of health, especially poverty, socioenvironmental stressors, and psychological factors, are increasingly recognized as important determinants of non-communicable diseases, such as chronic kidney disease (CKD), and their consequences. We aim to investigate the prevalence of FT in patients at different stages of CKD treated in our universal health-care system and from pediatric nephrology, hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and renal transplantation clinics. FT will be assessed with the Patient-Reported Outcome for Fighting Financial Toxicity (PROFFIT) score, which was first developed by Italian oncologists. Our local ethics committee has approved the study. Our population sample will answer the sixteen questions of the PROFFIT questionnaire, seven of which are related to the outcome and nine the determinants of FT. Data will be analyzed in the pediatric and adult populations and by group stratification. We are confident that this study will raise awareness among health-care professionals of the high risk of adverse health outcomes in patients who have both kidney disease and high levels of FT. Strategies to reduce FT should be implemented to improve the standard of care for people with kidney disease and lead to truly patient-centered care.

Smartphones' impact on nursing performances: a cross-sectional multicenter study.

Background: In recent years, the technology world has significantly shaped society. This study aims to survey the views of registered nurses with hospital working experience regarding the personal communication devices use impact in hospital units. The secondary outcome of this study was to identify differences in mobile device use based on demographic and organizational factors. Study design: Cross-sectional study by survey. Methods: The questionnaire comprises 22 items divided into four sections. Overall 778 questionnaires were included in the study, 329 questionnaires were collected on pen-and-paper, whereas 449 by an online survey. Results: Findings showed that smartphones have a different impact on performance, utilization and impact scale according to gender, age and educational attainment. Generally males using more frequently personal communication devices for non-workrelated activities affected negatively their working performance by respect to females. Moreover, younger nurses report being more distracted by using smartphones for non-work-related activities than older nurses. At the same time, younger nurses believe that smartphones may lead to an improvement in patient care skills. Nurses with fewer years of service (1 month - 10 years) report being more distracted by non-work-related activities on their smartphones than nurses with more years of service (>20 years). Conclusions: The smartphone is a potential distraction source. The most exposed groups are the younger nurses' and those with little work experience, and both groups (young age, less experience) can be considered factors for potential distraction.

Medication administration error prevention among nurses working in intensive care units: A secondary analysis.

BACKGROUND: The intensive care unit (ICU) brings together high-risk patients and interventions in a complex environment. Based on this consideration, medication administration error is the most common type of error that occurs in ICUs. Literature confirms that human factors (lack of knowledge, poor practices and negative attitudes) of nurses are the main contributors to the occurrence of medication administration errors in ICUs. AIM: To examine and compare the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour scores on medication administration error according to nurses' sociodemographic and professional variables. STUDY DESIGN: This is a secondary analysis of data from a cross-sectional international study based on a survey. Descriptive statistics were computed for all items of the questionnaire. Non-parametric tests (Kruskal Wallis and Mann Whitney U tests) were used to carry out the comparison between groups. RESULTS: The international sample consisted of 1383 nurses in 12 different countries. Statistically significant changes were seen in knowledge, attitudes and behaviour scores among several subgroups of the international population. Eastern nurses were more likely to show adequate knowledge about medication administration error prevention than Western nurses; concurrently, Western nurses were significantly more likely to show positive attitudes than Eastern nurses. No statistically significant differences in the behaviour scale were found in this study. CONCLUSIONS: The findings show a difference between knowledge and attitudes in relation to cultural background. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Decision makers in ICUs should consider cultural background when planning and implementing prevention strategies for medication administration errors. Further research is needed to investigate the effectiveness of educational systems on the decrease of the incidence of medication administration errors in ICU.

The Use of mHealth in Promoting Therapeutic Adherence: A Scoping Review.

Nonadherence to therapy negatively impacts mortality and quality of life and results in suboptimal efficacy of treatment regimens, threats to patient safety, and increased healthcare costs for disease management. Mobile health solutions can offer users instruments that can promote therapeutic adherence. The objective of this review is to investigate the impact mobile health systems have on therapeutic adherence. Specifically, we want to map the main systems used, the functions implemented, and the different methods of adherence detection used. For this purpose, a scoping review was conducted. The following databases were consulted: PubMed, Cochrane Library, EBSCO (including APA PsycINFO, CINAHL Plus with Full Text, ERIC), including English-language studies published in the last 10 years (2012-2022). The main mobile health systems used are as follows: applications, automated messaging, interactive voice response, and mobile video games. The main features implemented to support medication management were as follows: reminders, self-monitoring instruments, educational support, and caregiver involvement. In conclusion, the use of interactive mobile health instruments intended for use by the patient and/or caregiver can improve objectively and subjectively detected therapeutic adherence. The use of these systems in the therapeutic pathway of users, with a special focus on people with comorbidities and in polypharmacy treatment, represents a challenge to improve caregiver health.

Food insecurity and kidney disease: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The risk of developing and worsening chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with unhealthy dietary patterns. Food insecurity is defined by a limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe food; it is also associated with several chronic medical conditions. The aim of this systematic review is to investigate the current knowledge about the relationship between food insecurity and renal disease. METHODS: We selected the pertinent publications by searching on the PubMed, Scopus, and the Web of Science databases, without any temporal limitations being imposed. The searching and selecting processes were carried out through pinpointed inclusion and exclusion criteria and in accordance with the Prisma statement. RESULTS: Out of the 26,548 items that were first identified, only 9 studies were included in the systemic review. Eight out of the nine investigations were conducted in the US, and one was conducted in Iran. The studies evaluated the relationship between food insecurity and (i) kidney disease in children, (ii) kidney stones, (iii) CKD, (iv) cardiorenal syndrome, and (v) end stage renal disease (ESRD). In total, the different research groups enrolled 49,533 subjects, and food insecurity was reported to be a risk factor for hospitalization, kidney stones, CKD, ESRD, and mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The relationship between food insecurity and renal disease has been underestimated. Food insecurity is a serious risk factor for health problems in both wealthy and poor populations; however, the true prevalence of the condition is unknown. Healthcare professionals need to take action to prevent the dramatic effect of food insecurity on CKD and on other chronic clinical conditions.

Care call requests and inpatient beds modernization: Is there any link? A prospective observational study in the oncological setting.

AIM: The study aims to analyse the principal causes of patients' care calls and compare differences before and after inpatient beds' technological modernization in a surgical breast oncological ward. DESIGN: A prospective observational study was conducted under the STROBE guidelines. Data were collected from June to September 2022. METHODS: Statistical analyses were performed to compare each reason for care calls, by shifts and pre and post-inpatient bed modernization. RESULTS: Two thousand five hundred and fifty-nine care request calls were analysed during the 202 observed shifts. The most frequent reason was related to the requests for positions. CONCLUSION: Technological modernization of the beds has not led to effective-positive-changes; on the contrary, it seems at first glance to show an upward trend in calls above all in the short period after the changes. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: What problem did the study address? By analysing the principal causes of care calls and comparing the differences before and after inpatient beds' technological modernization, this study evaluates if inpatient gear or device modernization can impact care call requests. What were the main findings? The results show that the most frequent reasons for care calls were position, possession and other. These findings seem not superimposable; the hypothesis supported by the international literature in which the causes relating to potty and pain were found among the main reasons. Where and on whom will the research have an impact? These results could impact the care organizational area in nursing care and could improve care quality, patient satisfaction and safety. REPORTING METHOD: This prospective observational study was conducted following STROBE guidelines. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: After adequate information (presentation, design methods and objectives), all unit healthcare staff agreed to collaborate in the study.

Telenursing Interventions for Patients With Cancer Receiving Chemotherapy: A Scoping Review.

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION: To provide an overview of telenursing interventions, primary outcomes, and tools used in patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy, a scoping review was conducted. LITERATURE SEARCH: PubMed®, Embase®, and CINAHL® databases were searched using the following keywords: telenursing, adverse event, and drug therapy. DATA EVALUATION: From the screening process, 11 studies were identified. SYNTHESIS: In patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy, telenursing interventions were mainly used to monitor symptoms, particularly fatigue, anxiety, and depression. The interventions used included outcome-specific, nonspecific, and validated tools, or tools developed from reporting systems for adverse events. IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH: Large-scale, well-conducted randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses are needed to test the results of this scoping review.

Assessment of the Psychometric Characteristics of the Italian Version of the Nurse Manager Actions Scale.

Nurse managers play a vital role in healthcare organizations, wielding the ability to substantially enhance work environments, foster nurses' autonomy, and bolster retention within workplaces. In this context, this study focuses on the Nurse Manager Actions scale, aiming to evaluate its items' scalability as well as the scale's validity and reliability among nurses and nurse managers operating within the Italian healthcare context. The study protocol was not registered. To ensure linguistic and cultural alignment, an iterative and collaborative translation process was undertaken. Subsequently, a multi-center cross-sectional design was adopted. Using a web-survey approach, data were collected among 683 nurses and 188 nurse managers between August 2022 and January 2023. The Nurse Manager Actions scale was found to be a valid and reliable instrument in Italian after a Mokken Scale Analysis. For nurses (HT= 0.630, Molenaar-Sijtsma rho = 0.890), the scale included 6 items, while 11 items were confirmed for nurse managers (HT= 0.620, Molenaar-Sijtsma rho = 0.830). Nurse Manager Actions scale scores were correlated with increased satisfaction and decreased intention to leave for both nurses and nurse managers. The employed validation process enhanced the scale validity for use in Italy and provided a model for other researchers to follow when assessing similar measures in different populations. Measuring and empowering nurse manager actions in work contexts is essential to improve the general well-being and retention of nurses, especially in the current nursing shortage.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior in the administration of medication in the home care setting: Cross-cultural Spanish adaptation.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to validate and adapt the "Knowledge Attitute and Behaviour in the administration of medication in the home care setting questionnaire" in the home care setting in Cordoba, Spain, through a cross-validation process. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study SAMPLE: 106 community nurses provide home care in Cordoba, and are involved in the management of the medication process in the patient's home. MEASUREMENTS: Community nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors toward medication error prevention strategies in-home care. RESULTS: For the evaluation of psychometric properties, Cronbach's α was calculated, which returned a value of 0.639, showing good internal consistency. Most participants agreed that the home care setting increases the risk of medication errors. CONCLUSION: The study, underscores the importance of analyzing the phenomenon of medication errors in the home care setting. The characteristics and peculiarities of a home care setting are different from a hospital setting, which means that factors such as the environment, the figures involved in the care process (caregivers and/or family members), and the way in which they communicate with the rest of the multi-professional team can influence both the type of errors and the likelihood of their occurrence.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Behaviour with Regard to Medication Errors in Intravenous Therapy: A Cross-Cultural Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: Literature on the prevention of medication errors is growing, highlighting that knowledge, attitude and behavior with regard to medication errors are strategic to planning of educational activities and evaluating their impact on professional practice. In this context, the present pilot study aims to translate and validate nursing professionals' knowledge, attitudes and behavior (KAB theory) concerning medication administration errors in ICU from English into Persian. Furthermore, two main objectives of the project were: performing a pilot study among Iranian nurses using the translated questionnaire and carrying out a cultural measurement of the KAB theory concerning medication administration errors in an ICU questionnaire across two groups of Italian and Iranian populations. METHODS: A cross-cultural adaptation of an instrument, according to the Checklist for reporting of survey studies (CROSS), was performed. The convenience sample was made up of 529 Iranian and Italian registered nurses working in ICU. An exploratory factor analysis was performed and reliability was assessed. A multi-group confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to test the measurement invariance. Ethical approval was obtained. RESULTS: There was an excellent internal consistency for the 19-item scale. Results regarding factorial invariance showed that the nursing population from Italy and Iran used the same cognitive framework to conceptualize the prevention of medication errors. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this preliminary translation and cross-cultural validation confirm that the questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument within Persian healthcare settings. Moreover, these findings suggest that Italian and Persian nurses used an identical cognitive framework or mental model when thinking about medication errors prevention. The paper not only provides, for the first time, a validated instrument to evaluate the KAB theory in Iran, but it should promote other researchers in extending this kind of research, supporting those countries where attention to medical error is still increasing.

Googling Insomnia, Light, Metabolism, and Circadian: A Population Interest Simple Report.

Exposure to light at night, insomnia, and disrupted circadian patterns could be considered risk factors for developing noncommunicable diseases. Understanding the awareness of the general population about the abovementioned factors could be essential to predict noncommunicable diseases. This report aimed to investigate the general community's interest in circadian, insomnia, metabolism, and light using Google Trends, and to evaluate results from different geographic areas. Relative search volumes (RSVs) for the factors mentioned, filtered by the "Health" category, were collected between 2007 and 2021. Moreover, RSVs were analysed in five different European languages. Worldwide mean RSVs for "Circadian", "Insomnia", "Light", and "Metabolism" during the study period were 2%, 13.4%, 62.2%, and 10%, respectively. In different developed countries, searching for light, insomnia, and metabolism were different, suggesting a variable level of awareness. Limited knowledge about the circadian pattern of human activities was detected. The highest correlation coefficient was calculated. Our results suggest the potential role of extensive data analysis in understanding the public interest and awareness about these risk factors. Moreover, it should be interpreted as the onset of stimulus for researchers to use comprehensible language for reaching comprehensive media coverage to prevent sleep and circadian system disturbances.

Management Strategies and Nursing Activities for Nutritional Care in Hospitalized Patients with Cognitive Decline: A Scoping Review.

Cognitive impairment and dementia can negatively impact the nutritional capacities of older people. Malnutrition is common in hospitalized frail elderly people with cognitive impairment and negatively affects prognosis. Malnutrition worsens the quality of life and increases morbidity and mortality. This scoping review aimed to identify factors affecting the risk of malnutrition and preventive strategies in hospitalized patients with cognitive impairment, focusing on nursing interventions. The authors researched population, context, and concept in international databases of nursing interest. Full texts that met the inclusion criteria were selected and reviewed. The extracted data were subject to thematic analysis. A five-stage approach, already reported in the scientific literature, was utilized in the following scoping review. Of 638 articles yielded, 9 were included. Two focus areas were identified as follows: (1) prevalence and risk factors of malnutrition in older patients with cognitive decline; (2) nursing strategies used to enhance clinical outcomes. Nursing health interventions aim to recognize and reduce malnutrition risk, positively impacting this phenomenon. A multidisciplinary team is essential to meet the nutritional needs of these patients.

Medication Errors in Intensive Care Units: An Umbrella Review of Control Measures.

Medication errors are defined as "any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the health care professional, patient, or consumer." Such errors account for 30 to 50 percent of all errors in health care. The literature is replete with systematic reviews of medication errors, with a considerable number of studies focusing on systems and strategies to prevent errors in intensive care units, where these errors occur more frequently; however, to date, there appears to be no study that encapsulates and analyzes the various strategies. The aim of this study is to identify the main strategies and interventions for preventing medication errors in intensive care units through an umbrella review. The search was conducted on the following databases: PubMed, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Embase, and Scopus; it was completed in November 2020. Seven systematic reviews were included in this review, with a total of 47 studies selected. All reviews aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a single intervention or a combination of interventions and strategies to prevent and reduce medication errors. Analysis of the results that emerged identified two macro-areas for the prevention of medication errors: systems and processes. In addition, the findings highlight the importance of adopting an integrated system of interventions in order to protect the system from harm and contain the negative consequences of errors.

Nurse's bedside screening of dysphagia: an umbrella review.

INTRODUCTION: Dysphagia often results in serious, poor health outcomes. Nurses have an important role in assessing dysphagia. Therefore, they need reliable and effective screening tools to detect dysphagia. The purpose of this umbrella review is to locate the most valid, reliable, and usable bedside screening tools that allow nurses to identify dysphagia in institutionalized patients. METHODS: Umbrella Review as suggested by the Joanna Briggs Institute. Inclusion criteria were: systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials or cross-sectional studies. We excluded: pediatric and psychiatric patients. We searched on PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Cochrane Library, the Joanna Briggs Institute Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports, and the Joanna Briggs Institute Evidence-Based Practice Database. RESULTS: Six reviews were included. Four tools were reported in all the reviews: 3 oz swallowing water test, Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability, Toronto Bedside Swallowing Screening Test, Gugging Swallowing Screen. They have shown fair to good sensitivity and specificity. The reviews analysed did not allow for a comparative analysis between instruments, which may be hindering the selection of the optimal instrument for clinical practice. CONCLUSIONS: Almost all reviews have considered stroke patients. The next steps will be to determine if there is a tool applicable in multiple settings with different patients and if this intervention is cost-effective.

Infections and Smartphone Use in Nursing Practice: A Systematic Review.

AIM: Nurses use their smartphones during the work shift. The objective of this review is to investigate the presence of bacteria on mobile phones and the procedures to disinfect or decontaminate the smartphone and decrease the infection rate. METHOD: This systematic review was carried out through a search on the main scientific databases by following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The research was conducted by considering articles published in the last ten years. RESULTS: Of 502 initial articles, 489 were excluded and 12 articles were considered relevant. Twelve articles were included in the review. The analysis of the studies showed a high contamination of pathogenic microorganisms on the device's surfaces, most of which appear to be antibiotic resistant. The use of smartphones during clinical practice increases the risk of contracting nosocomial infections. The presence of bacteria on mobile phones and their use favors the cross-transmission of microorganisms. CONCLUSION: Onset prevention is a primary goal for the entire multidisciplinary team. There are no protocols concerning smartphones disinfection during clinical practice, but their implementation would reduce the incidence by improving nursing care.

Medication Adherence in Chronic Older Patients: An Italian Observational Study Using Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS-5I).

BACKGROUND: the world population is aging, and the prevalence of chronic diseases is increasing. Chronic diseases affect the quality of life of patients and contribute toward increased healthcare costs if patients do not adhere to treatment. This study defines the medication adherence levels of patients with chronic diseases. METHODS: an observational cross-sectional study was carried out. Patients aged 65 years and older with chronic diseases were included in this study. The medication adherence report scale was used. RESULTS: overall, 98 patients aged 65 years and older were included. The mean age of responders was 78.65 years. STUDY POPULATION: 71.43% were always adherent; 9.79% often adherent; 14.89% sometimes adherent; 3.87% rarely adherent; and 1% never adherent. The internal consistency of the MARS-5I was good: Cronbach's alfa value of 0.77. CONCLUSIONS: the MARS-5I is an effective self-report instrument to measure the medication adherence of patients. However, further studies are needed to explore factors affecting medication adherence to avoid clinical consequences for patients and high healthcare costs for healthcare facilities. Healthcare communication could be improved to ensure better transitional care.

Tackling the Italian emergency 2019-nCoV: nurses' knowledge, attitudes and behaviors.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The aim was to understand the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of Health Care workers regarding the Novel Coronavirus 2019 cases at the start of the diffusion of the disease in Italy. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey of nurses working in Italian hospitals. RESULTS: Most of the sample showed good knowledge and behaviors about the new virus and good attitudes. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that predictive variables of knowledge, attitude, and behavior were: educational background, work experience years and age of nurses. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first one in a time of a full health emergency. It would be appropriate to develop further studies to better analyze the skills implemented to tackle Novel Coronavirus 2019 disease. Novel Coronavirus 2019 pandemic has put on health personnel a considerable workload. Despite this, the Italian nursing staff has been showing excellent knowledge, attitude, and good behavior in the management of this pandemic. (www.actabiomedica.it).

A Worldwide Bibliometric Analysis of Published Literature on Medication Errors.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to map the recent literature on medication error to monitor the state of research and explore emerging research fronts. Specifically, the co-occurrences analysis aimed to research the conceptual structure of the medication errors, whereas the coauthorship analysis aimed to research the "authorities" that influenced the academic and political discussion on medication errors. METHODS: The search for relevant studies was carried out through the Scopus. To map and monitor the state of research on medication error, a preliminary analysis was conducted through the year of publication, type of article, and language. The count of citation shows the most relevant work among those included. Bibliometric analyses were conducted, such as coauthorship analysis and co-occurrences analysis. RESULTS: The search strategy yielded 5393 articles. Of these, 1267 articles were included. Four main themes emerged from this bibliometric analysis: (a) the exploration of human factors related to health care professionals that increase the risk of medication error, (b) the investigation of behaviors and strategies that can prevent the error in the preparation and administration stage, (c) the analysis of the benefits related to the presence of the pharmacist in hospital settings, and (d) the exploration of the consequences of a medication error and/or adverse effects of drugs. CONCLUSIONS: For the first time, a bibliometric analysis of medication errors research in the world has been conducted and demonstrated that there is a wealth of contributions already being made that are well aligned to the World Health Organization challenge.

Medication errors' causes analysis in home care setting: A systematic review.

Many studies analyze the medication errors in the hospital setting, but the literature involving the home care setting seems scarce. The aim of this study is to identify the main risk factors that affect the genesis of medication errors and the possible solutions to reduce the phenomenon in the home care setting. This systematic review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. The critical analysis of the literature shows that medication errors in home care occur mainly during transitional care. The main risk factors related to transitional care are poor interprofessional communication, lack of a standardized process for medication reconciliation, the widespread use of computerized tools, and the inadequate integration of the pharmacist into the care team. The strategies to reduce the risk of errors from therapy at home are the implementation of the pharmacist in the health team to ensure accurate medication reconciliation and the use of computerized tools to improve communication between professionals and to reduce the dispersion of information.